THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cybercrime police station in the city has recorded a spike in online frauds. 21 cases, mostly swindling money, were registered in two months this year. 10 complaints on average are registered but most of the complainants don’t take the cases forward
With increased access to online platforms , it is of little surprise that criminal activities in the cyber world increased. The Cybercrime police station in the capital recorded a surge in cases during the lockdown. As per the data available, 90 cybercrimes were reported last year in the district, in comparison to 44 cases in 2019. In just two months this year, 21 cases were registered. According to experts, even though 21 cases were recorded, there are many unreported cyber crimes as the victims are reluctant to come forward fearing embarrassment.
The Cybercrime police station in the city said that it receives more than 10 complaints daily. However, a majority of complainants do not want the cases to be registered.According to the Cybercrime police, Thiruvananthapuram registers the highest number of cyber crimes, in comparison to other districts.
Social media abuse also forms a substantial number of cases. A few months ago, dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi had raised a complaint against YouTuber Vijay P Nair and filmmaker Shanthivila Dinesh regarding the same. The face off between Bhagyalakshmi and Vijay went viral, leading to the intervention of the state government. Regardless of the increasing number of cases being registered, police said that the conviction rate was low as the investigation procedures would be riddled with delays.
“Most of the complaints are related to online frauds such as losing money from their bank accounts, matrimonial duplicity and social media abuse. Nearly all culprits involved in swindling cash belong to northern India or Nigeria. As a result, it is difficult to trace them and there are many procedures involved. However, the Thiruvananthapuram Cybercrime police station recently succeeded in getting two Nigerians convicted in a case registered in 2014,” said T Shyam Lal, DySP, Cybercrime police, Thiruvananthapuram.
LACK OF SOCIALISATION
“The lockdown led to an unprecedented rise in the use of digital devices and social media used extensively by all sections of society ranging from adolescents to elderly. Naturally, it has also led to a rise in cyber crimes including drug use, sexual grooming and even organised crimes. Lack of socialisation and other avenues of outdoor entertainment coupled with digital addiction has significantly affected the mental state of people adversely leading to increased thrill-seeking using the cyber domain. Crimes directed at children have risen as many adults consider children as vulnerable targets”, said Arun B Nair, psychiatrist, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram