JHARKHAND: To rein in the surging cybercrime across the country, the Jharkhand CID has launched an app to track down criminals by providing a database of mobile numbers being used by them. The app also contains a map projecting areas the criminals are operating from. The information can be accessed by police as and when required.
Launched on November 8, by Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID), ‘Pratibimb’ has already helped in arresting a significant number of cyber criminals from the state. In Jharkhand alone, actions have been taken against as many as 365 offenders so far.
According to Director General (CID) Anurag Gupta, the concerned SPs can access the data to ensure apt action against the cyber outlaws.
The data base reveals that most of the cyber crimes are being executed by Jharkhand’s Jamtara followed by Mewat and Gurugram in Haryana, 24-Parganas in West Bengal, besides several other pockets across the country.
“As many as 1,379 SIM cards have been seized in the state besides the recovery of 932 mobile phones used to cheat people. A total of 365 cyber criminals have also been arrested by using the app,” said DG Gupta.
Not only in Jharkhand, but the police all over the country are also using this app to nab the cyber criminals.
Indian cyber crime coordination centre (I4C) has launched a helpline number — 1930 in 2021 under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to help victims of financial fraud and was integrated with State police control rooms, the DG said.
By calling on 1930, one can register his complaint and provide all information including the mobile number used for the crime, he said.
All the database of the mobile numbers collected from the I4C along with their current locations have been compiled and put on ‘Pratibimb’, said Gupta. He further added that ‘Pratibimb’ is a joint ventur e of I4C and Jharkhand CID. “On an average, nearly 2000 to 4000 phone calls are received by 1930-Helpline number every day, where the complainants provide all information, including, the mobile number being used for the same. These numbers are provided to Jharkhand CID by I4C on the daily bases which are plotted on ‘Pratibimb’ App,” said Gupta.
Those numbers, after locating them on the map of Jharkhand, are sent to the concerned SPs and the service provider as well so that it could be blocked and proper action is taken immediately, he added.
As of now, maximum number of 16 cyber criminals has been arrested from Deoghar, followed by Giridih with 69 and 63 in Jamtara. A total of 82 FIRs related to cyber frauds have also been lodged after tracking the criminals through ‘Pratibimb’.
Fifteen cyber criminals got arrested, 38 SIM cards seized along with 27 mobile phones and 4 FIRs were lodged in a single day on November 21.
Hailing the initiative, Jamtara SP Animesh Naithani said, “Earlier, we were dependent on human tip-offs, but now technology has replaced it. Hence the accuracy of cyber cell has increased.”
If the arresting of cyber criminals continues in the same pace, Jamtara, which is at the fifth number on the map of cyber fraud in Jharkhand, will not remain even on the list of top 10.
Meanwhile, in order to deal with new-age challenges and bring in technological, managerial and knowledge expertise to police functioning, Jharkhand cops, for the first time, has also roped in top business schools and leading technical institutions in the state.
According to top police officials, the MoU signed between Jharkhand Police and four renowned premier academic institutions — IIM Ranchi, BIT-Mesra, XLRI Jamshedpur, and NIT Jamshedpur — will pave the way for better policing in the state by establishing a formal basis of collaboration.
Similarly, in a major crackdown against cyber criminals on the basis of the inputs received from ‘Pratibimb’, an international module being operated in Hazaribagh was busted on December 10. Hazaribagh SP Manoj Ratan Chothe said the accused were guided by a Pakistani number and the amounts received in their accounts were routed according to the instructions given by Pakistani handler.