More than 500 apps blocked on the advice of cyber-crime centre, says Home Minister

The Home Minister details the government’s initiatives towards cyber security while reviewing the functioning of the I4C

March 29, 2023 06:18 am | Updated 06:18 am IST - New Delhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah during an ASSOCHAM event in New Delhi on March 28, 2023.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah during an ASSOCHAM event in New Delhi on March 28, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that more than 500 Internet-based applications have been blocked on the recommendation of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).

Reviewing the functioning of the I4C, along with Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Mr. Shah said the Centre has prepared an analytical report of the modus operandi of the top 50 cyber-attacks in the country.

The government has taken several initiatives for cyber security and in the coming days, nearly 70% of the criminal justice system that includes prisons and courts, will be online, he added.

More than 20 lakh cyber-crime complaints have been registered on the portal cybercrime.gov.in, on the basis of which more than 40,000 FIRs have been registered, he said, adding that 13 crore hits were registered on this portal since its launch in January 2020.

He said 99.9% of police stations (16,597) are registering 100% FIRs directly on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). The CCTNS National Database so far contains 28.98 crore police records.

He further said that the cyber fraud helpline — 1930 — should be publicised so that people who have been cheated online have better chances of getting their money back.

“If a victim of financial fraud complains immediately on the toll-free number 1930, agencies can freeze the SIM card and the bank account involved in the crime. The chance of recovering the money is higher if complained immediately. We are making a provision to also freeze mobile handsets involved in such fraud,” Mr. Shah said while interacting with a group of reporters.

He said over 250 banks and financial intermediaries have been onboarded on the helpline and the portal cybercrime.gov.in. and ₹235 crore embezzled by cybercriminals from over 1.33 lakh people has been recovered so far.

The Minister said that the National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO), a searchable registry of convicts involved in sexual offences such as rape, molestation, stalking and child abuse, has a record of 13 lakh offenders so far. “This includes the names, addresses, photographs and fingerprint details of the offenders. It helps in the identification and verification of sexual offenders to prevent further crimes,” he said.

Mr. Shah said the NDOFO (National Database of Offends of Foreign Origin), launched on January 20, is a registry of foreigners involved in crime in India and has details of convicted and accused foreign offenders. “NDOFO is a ‘one-stop solution’ for data related to all foreign criminals and the system is available to all police stations and law enforcement agencies,” he noted.

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