By Trinath Mohanty, OP
Bhubaneswar: Police have recovered only 2.46 per cent of the money lost to cyber fraud in Odisha in the first nine months of the year, with a lack of technical expertise, inadequate manpower and funding constraints hampering investigations, according to data from the state cyber control room.
According to the data, cyber criminals swindled Rs 283.39 crore in the first nine months of the year, but police managed to recover only Rs 6.95 crore, or 2.46 per cent of the total amount. Another 21.04 per cent of the amount, worth Rs 59.64 crore, has been frozen.
However, complainants are struggling to recover the frozen money, with no clear timeline for when it will be returned. Internet connectivity has expanded from villages to cities, and cybercrime has spread alongside it.
Fraudsters use various methods to gain victims’ trust and empty their bank accounts, often operating without revealing their identities. A single link or an Android Package Kit (APK) file can be enough to compromise a victim’s account, the report said.
Cybercrime units in Maharashtra, Telangana, Chandigarh and Delhi are considered better equipped than Odisha’s, while Odisha Police ranks sixth nationally in efforts to combat cybercrime, according to the report. A shortage of technical expertise and trained personnel is among the key challenges facing the state police.
With insufficient staff, investigating officers are burdened with multiple cases, affecting the quality of investigations. Many cybercrime cases also involve suspects based in other states. Police officers often receive inadequate funds to travel outside Odisha to arrest suspects, forcing some to pay travel expenses out of their own pockets.
As a result, investigating officers are sometimes reluctant to travel to other states to pursue cases. Despite increased vigilance and the use of technology, cybercriminals continue to exploit sophisticated methods.
The data also refers to transactions conducted through the dark web, which it describes as a platform used by criminals to coordinate fraudulent activities. To strengthen its response, the state plans to establish a centralised State Cyber Command Centre to monitor and coordinate the work of Odisha’s 35 cyber police stations.
The proposed centre is expected to cost about Rs 249 crore and will have more than 200 cybercrime experts, according to the report. Meanwhile, officials stress that prompt reporting is crucial to recovering money lost to cyber fraud.
The first hour after a fraud is reported is critical, while the first five minutes are considered the “super golden time”. Reporting the incident immediately can help authorities trace and recover the money or freeze the recipient’s bank account before the funds are moved elsewhere.
Delays in reporting, however, often allow fraudsters to transfer the money, making recovery increasingly difficult.
