DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand is facing an alarming rise in cybercrime, with scammers stealing an astonishing Rs 46 lakh daily from unsuspecting residents. This amounts to a whopping Rs 2 lakh every hour.
Navneet Singh Bhullar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Special Task Force, revealed the shocking statistics on cybercrime in Uttarakhand.
In a conversation with The New Indian Express, SSP Bhullar stated, "In just 290 days, residents of the state have lost a staggering Rs 133 crore to cyber scammers. This figure is alarmingly high, especially considering the state's relatively small size. To put it into perspective, this amount surpasses the total losses incurred due to theft, loot, and dacoity in the state this year."
SSP Bhullar further broke down the disturbing numbers: "Daily, cyber thieves make off with approximately Rs 46 lakh. Every hour, that figure stands at around Rs 2 lakh. What's more concerning is that about 65 people fall prey to cyber fraud every day."
According to sources from the STF cyber cell, Uttarakhand's Cyber Financial Helpline has received more than 19,000 complaints this year. Fortunately, many individuals have successfully recovered a portion of their money through this helpline.
According to the cyber cell statistics a total of Rs 24 crore was saved through this helpline since January.
In a worrying trend, cyber thugs have consistently updated their strategies over the past decade, adapting to increased awareness about specific scams, according to the STF cyber cell records. "Cyber thugs change their tactics every year as awareness about a particular scam increases," says an STF official.
The current wave of cybercrimes is dominated by 'digital arrest' and investment-related fraud. A staggering Rs 7 crore was lost by one individual to 'digital arrest' scams, while over 50 complaints have been filed across the state's two cyber police stations.
The Dehradun cyber police station has registered 76 cases of fraud exceeding Rs 10 lakh, with most being investment and 'digital arrest' scams.
A senior official from the STF investigating cybercrimes revealed that cyber thugs are swindling over Rs 100 crore daily from Indians, translating to a staggering Rs 36,000 to Rs 40,000 crore annually. This alarming figure highlights the growing concern of cybercrime in India.