We’re the IT capital and perhaps the most networked city in India. These proud tags we wear perhaps make us the obvious choice for the dubious distinction of also topping the national charts when it comes to cyber crime.
The detailed crime statistics for 2012, published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its report, Crime in India-2012, reveal that Bangalore alone accounts for 24.4 per cent of cyber crimes booked under the IT Act among 53 ‘megacities’ across India.
With 342 cases booked in 2012, up from 117 in 2011, the city outstrips Visakhapatnam (153), which is in the second spot.
Interestingly, the numbers are much more modest when it comes to cyber crimes booked under provisions of the IPC — only seven compared to 72 in Mumbai.
The NCRB city-wise list includes crimes recorded in these megacities (with a population of over 10 lakh).
State-wise, Karnataka stands second, behind Andhra Pradesh.
However, Bangalore accounted for the majority of the cases with around 83 per cent cases being booked here.
But, while the number of cases booked reveals high awareness levels in the tech city, as the police are quick to point out, the statistics on the number of arrests paint a much subdued picture on law enforcement.
For, while Karnataka lags behind at least five States in terms of the number of arrests in cybercrime cases, Bangalore city records just above half the number of arrests made in Vishakhapatnam.
Profiles
More detailed figures provided show that 22 of the total 38 arrests made in Bangalore over the year involved people aged between 18 and 35.
The detailed breakup on the types of cybercrimes booked here is also revealing. While ‘greed/money’ and ‘fraud/illegal gain’ account for the majority of motives listed, a majority of offences recorded come under the hacking category.
In fact, 323 of the 412 crimes recorded under the IT Act or the Indian Penal Code in Bangalore fall under two heads: ‘loss/damage to computer resource’ and ‘hacking’.
