NEW DELHI: The Centre has issued an advisory to states and Union Territories (UTs), directing them not to dismiss anonymous cybercrime complaints, particularly those involving crimes against women and children.
The move comes amid growing concern that law enforcement agencies are routinely closing such cases on the grounds that the victim cannot be identified, allowing harmful online content to remain accessible.
According to officials familiar with the development, several complaints filed through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) are being ignored or prematurely closed without adequate intervention and investigation.
They noted that this trend undermines the very purpose of the portal, which was designed to enable victims and witnesses to report sensitive crimes without fear of exposure.
“States and UTs are regularly closing anonymous complaints and ‘Report and Track’ complaints citing the inability to identify the victim, while no concrete action is taken to remove the reported content,” an official, quoting the advisory, said.
The Centre has now clarified that the anonymity of a complainant or non-identification of victim cannot be used as a valid reason to shut down a case. This is especially critical in cases involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), online child pornography and other sexually exploitative content, where timely intervention is essential to prevent further harm.
The NCRP, managed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the MHA, allows users to report offences anonymously, particularly in cases related to rape, gang rape and child abuse imagery. But officials indicated that the intent behind this feature was being diluted at the state level due to administrative inaction.
In the advisory, it has been insisted that even if the identity of the complainant remains unknown, law enforcement agencies must initiate action, including the prompt takedown of objectionable online content.
The directive comes against the backdrop of a sharp rise in cybercrime complaints. Data recently presented by the MHA in Parliament reveals that the cases related to child pornography and CSAM increased nearly fivefold from 2,109 in 2021 to 10,431 in 2025.
Complaints involving fake and impersonating profiles surged from 15,843 to 46,784, while incidents of cyber-bullying, stalking, and sexting more than doubled during the same period.
Overall, cybercrime complaints involving crimes against women have crossed 9.54 lakh over the past five years, with 2025 recording the highest annual figures. Notably, complaints under the online and social media crime category rose by over 140 per cent, from 72,301 in 2021 to 1,73,766 in 2025.
The Ministry has urged the states and UTs to strengthen their response mechanisms and ensure that all complaints, anonymous or otherwise, are treated with urgency and seriousness.