Cybercrime lab in Visakhapatnam to be a reality by March-end

VISAKHAPATNAM: The long-pending proposals for setting up a cyber crime police station and a cyber forensic laboratory in Visakhapatnam appear to be a reality soon. According to officials, the facilities will run from the VUDA Complex near Siripuram on a temporary basis as the authorities are yet to zero in on the suitable land for the projects, though the works for it have already started. If everything goes well, the lab will be opened by April.

According to cyber crime inspector V Gopinath, the lab will be equipped with advanced tools which will be provided by the Andhra Pradesh CID.

“At present, the special cell in the II-Town Police station dealing with the cyber crime cases is not adequate, given the complexities of the cases. The available equipment are not capable of pursuing difficult cases.

The proposed cyber crime police station and the laboratory will receive assistance from the Centre
for Development of Advanced  Computing (CDAC), Thiruvananthapuram,” he said. The lab will have advanced mobile forensic tools, USCD and a few other sophisticated equipment and the works are likely to be finished by the end of March, he said.

The government has given nod for setting up of the cyber crime PS in 2015 and issued a GO. However, the proposal was delayed due to various reasons including fund crunch and land issues.
Now, the AP Police is dependant on the cyber forensic laboratory in Hyderabad as there is no lab in the state to detect the virtual fraud cases. Sources said that many cases are getting delayed for the want of reports from the Hyderabad laboratory.  

Already, Visakhapatnam has been in the limelight for the number of cyber crimes reported from here since the last few years.

Last year, cyber crime cases saw a steep rise with 576 cases registered from the city limits when compared to the 442 in 2016. More than 900 cases have been pending since 2011, police sources said.  “The lab will come in handy not only for Vizag but for the entire state. Once the lab is set up, the investigation can be conducted at the lab, providing us enough leads in time to delve into the cases further,”  said a senior police officer from the city.

Gathering steam

• Cyber crime PS and forensic lab likely to function temporarily from  VUDA Complex near Siripuram
• The facilities to receive assistance from Centre for Development of Advanced  Computing, Thiruvananthapuram
• AP CID to provide mobile forensic tools, USCD and other sophisticated equipment to the lab

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