BHUBANESWAR: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Odisha Police will soon launch massive cyber crime awareness campaigns in all districts of the state. Sources said the campaign will be a bigger version of ‘Paree Pain Katha Tiye’, a successful state-wide awareness initiative against child sexual abuse launched in 2018. “The campaign on cyber safety will be held at the grassroots level. The plan is to roll ‘cyber rathas; (chariots) across the state and spread messages on cyber safety to ensure people do not fall prey to fraudsters,” said sources.
The mass social campaign is expected to be launched both online and offline. Government departments like Schools and Mass Education, Higher Education, Skill Development and Technical Education, Mission Shakti, Women and Child Development along with Anganwadi and Asha workers will be part of the campaign.
Sources said the two-week long campaign will likely be held in all the districts between October 2 and 15. It will be organised during the global Cyber Security Awareness Month, held in October every year.“Videos have been created on different cyber crimes and ways to remain safe. The videos will be played and pamphlets/brochures on cyber safety distributed during the campaign. The initiative will cover students, households, government employees, and others,” said a senior police officer.
As part of the initiative, police will reach out to all age groups and sections of the society. The campaign will be held at a time when the state is witnessing a rise in cyber crimes. Odisha had earned the dubious distinction of reporting the maximum number of incidents of cyber crimes against women in 2021.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), around 565 women became victims of cyber crimes in the state during the period, followed by 458 in Assam and 276 in Uttar Pradesh. Cyber crimes against children also remain a cause of concern in the state. In August, the Crime Branch in collaboration with Unicef launched a three-day training programme - ‘Tools and Techniques for Investigating Cyber Crimes against Children’ at Cyber Complex here.
The aim of the training programme was to enhance the skills and knowledge of police officers which would help them in investigating cyber crimes. The training covered issues like the evolving nature of cyber crimes, technical skills, digital forensics, legal issues, collaboration and information sharing with other agencies, and extending support to the victims, among others.
Unique initiative
The campaign will be a larger version of ‘Paree Pain Katha Tiye’
‘Cyber rathas’ to be rolled across the state as part of the initiative
The campaign is likely to be launched both online and offline