KOCHI: With timely police intervention effecting a significant drop in cyber fraud in Kerala, the police have shifted their focus to curbing other forms of cybercrime, particularly the transmission and circulation of pornographic content.
According to data with the Kerala Police, the cyber police wings across the state have registered 383 cases since 2016 related to the uploading and sharing of pornographic material online.
Between 2016 and February 2025, as many as 175 cases were filed under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for publishing or transmitting obscene content electronically. Additionally, 151 cases were registered under Section 67A of the IT Act, pertaining to sexually explicit material.
Child pornography accounted for 46 cases during the period while 11 cases were related to the circulation of rape content. “Public awareness campaigns on cyber financial frauds have made people more vigilant, which has led to a decline in such cases this year,” said an officer with the Cyber Operations Wing of Kerala Police. “Similar awareness efforts will be extended to tackle other cyber offences. When it comes to transmitting obscene content, we conduct frequent crackdowns, and a significant number of offenders have been arrested.”
Other forms of cybercrime also remain on the radar. Since 2016, a total of 69 cases of cyberbullying and 62 cases of identity theft or profile hacking have been registered. Further, 95 cases involved provocative speeches online, 40 were related to data breaches, 20 to email hacking, 45 to website hacking, six involved ransomware attacks, and six were tied to cyber terrorism.
The officer highlighted the use of international mechanisms like the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to gather data from foreign-based digital platforms. “MLAT enables enforcement agencies in other countries to assist us in collecting key information. We are also working to improve direct engagement with these platforms to support investigations more efficiently.”
Despite progress, police officials point out that staffing remains a challenge. Kerala currently operates 20 cyber police stations with a total staff strength of 402, including three deputy superintendents of police, 27 inspectors, 32 sub-inspectors, 43 assistant sub-inspectors, and 83 senior civil police officers, among others.
“Given the increasing volume of cybercrime, the current manpower is insufficient. While regular police stations continue to register cyber cases, more complex cases are often forwarded to the cyber police units,” the officer added.