High rate of cyber-bullying in Kerala due to highest internet penetration in India

Most of the complainants are from the state, while a few are expats residing in the West Asia.
Image used for representational purpose
Image used for representational purpose

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Most of the complainants are from the state, while a few are expats residing in West Asia. “The internet penetration of Kerala is the highest in the country and hence cyber-related bullying is bound to increase,” said Cyber police station DySP Mohammed Iqbal. 

These cases were earlier registered in various stations across the state but later shifted to the Cyber police station under the instruction of State Police Chief Loknath Behera a few months ago. There are cases that dealt with email bombing, where mails are sent to a targeted ID in large numbers that finally overwhelm the servers resulting in the denial of services. 

In a few other cases, the service of cyber goons was sought to malign people by those who had personal enmity with them. Highly-placed sources said of the 20 cases, three were against self-styled activists, including the ones who tried to enter Sabarimala recently. The cases against those involving residents of Kerala will be investigated first.

“Those involving people who are residing outside Kerala will be probed later. Our priority is to give relief to the complainants who are residing in the state,” police said. Though the cops have ascertained that cyber goons are charging a hefty amount as fee, they are yet to gauge the real price tag of each service. “Prices vary for each service. It could vary from a few thousand to several lakhs of rupees. But till the investigation reaches the last phase, we can’t reveal the exact amount involved in the business,” police said.

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The New Indian Express
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