STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked the CBI and Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to develop a joint system with other institutions like NIA, ED and banks to devise a “coordinated and highly-secure ecosystem” and remain “two steps ahead” to counter cybercriminals using novel technologies to commit crimes.
Underlining the gravity of cybercrimes in the country, the home minister said considering the volume and stakes of India’s digital transactions, the scenario of cybercrime appears alarming with one person becoming a victim every 37 seconds on an average, and 100 falling prey to it every hour.
Shah said that through 361,000 cyber fraud complaints, the government has successfully safeguarded Rs 8,189 crore, which is a significant achievement.
According to estimates, the total amount of fraud was around Rs 20,000 crore, out of which agencies have frozen or returned Rs 8,189 crore to the victims, he said.
“Cyber security is no longer limited to economic security but has now become an integral part of national security. Had we not taken adequate steps, cyber fraud would have turned into a national crisis,” he said.
Delivering the keynote address at a national conference on ‘Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds and Dismantling the Ecosystem’ organised by the CBI and the home ministry’s anti-cybercrime unit, I4C, Shah asked the state police to deploy adequate manpower to manage the cybercrime reporting call centre 1930 to ensure prompt action so that the amount involved can be salvaged.
“If a victim’s call is not answered even after ringing several times, by then their money is gone. It places a serious question mark on the credibility of 1930,” the home minister said.
All private, public, and cooperative banks should immediately adopt the mule account hunter software jointly developed by the government of India and the Reserve Bank of India to tackle money laundering by cybercriminals, Shah said.
“Until all banks completely clean their accounts using this software, it will not be possible to provide full protection to the consumers,” he said.
The two-day conference is being attended by senior officials and experts from Central and state law enforcement agencies, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Department of Financial Services (DFS), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), public and private sector banks, cooperative banks, NABARD, fintech companies and payment platforms, telecom service providers, social media and Cloud service intermediaries, cybersecurity experts and domain specialists, and international law enforcement and policy representatives.
This multi-stakeholder engagement reflects a “whole-of-ecosystem” approach to tackling cybercrime, an official statement said.
Shah also inaugurated a new cybercrime branch of the CBI and launched a State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) dashboard of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), besides conferring medals to CBI officers.
Welcoming the home minister, CBI Director Praveen Sood said the hubs of cybercrime have shifted from Jamtara, Mewat and Bharatpur to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.
The agency has achieved a 90 per cent conviction rate in cybercrimes in the last 10 years and filed chargesheets in 82 per cent of cybercrime cases registered by it, Sood said.
Shah said that while progress has definitely been made in terms of action against cybercriminals, criminal justice processes, and money recovery cases, there is still a need to strengthen many dimensions more effectively.
“Cybercriminals, who once relied on simple manual hacking, are now using complex automated techniques. What were once isolated ‘lone wolf’ attacks have evolved into organised and systematic criminal operations. Cybercrime has now become an industry where accounts are bought and sold as a service.
“Since criminals continuously adopt new technologies, there is a need for collective and sustained efforts to stay two steps ahead by moving beyond traditional approaches,” he said.
The I4C, state police forces, the CBI, the NIA, the ED, the Department of Telecommunications, the banking sector, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the RBI, and the judiciary are collectively making every possible effort to curb cybercrime, the home minister said.
“Each institution has a critical role and responsibility, and a close coordination among all stakeholders is essential to achieve the desired outcomes.
“The initiative by the CBI and I4C is extremely significant as it will help connect various government departments and agencies with one another and ensure effective implementation of their efforts, which will lead to expected success,” Shah said.
The home minister also said that safeguarding economic, social, administrative and national security dimensions, while continuing to advance the digital revolution, is “a collective responsibility of all the stakeholders”.
The key pillars of this strategy include real-time reporting of cybercrime, a robust network of forensic laboratories, capacity building, research and development, promotion of cyber awareness, and ensuring cyber hygiene in cyberspace, he said.
The goal is to bring together all relevant stakeholders, including the CBI, NIA, RBI, state police forces, other investigating agencies and government departments, to create a coordinated and highly-secure ecosystem, Shah said.
Such coordination is essential to effectively combat cybercrime and to make India’s digital ecosystem safe and trustworthy, he added.
Shah also said that as digital transactions have grown rapidly, the associated risks have also increased.
“Eleven years ago, there were 25 crore internet consumers which have now increased to over 100 crore, with a similar number in the broadband consumers as well, which have now gone up by over 16 times,” he said.
The price of one GB data has been reduced by over 97 per cent, which has not only resulted in an increase in the number of connections but also the use of data, which has risen multi-fold, Shah said.
Highlighting the unprecedented growth in UPI transactions in the country, Shah said India recorded more than 181 billion digital transactions in 2024 alone, with the total value exceeding Rs 233 trillion.
“Prior to the launch of UPI, comparison about digital transactions was not possible. But in 2024, more than 181 billion digital transactions were carried out. Ensuring the security of these transactions rests on a strong system which is being steadily strengthened,” he said.
From a global perspective, India has set new records in digital transactions and every second digital transaction in the world is taking place in India, he said.
“It underscores the need to further strengthen and secure the country’s digital payment ecosystem at the global level,” the home minister said.
In 2024 alone, 97 per cent of all payment system transactions were conducted through digital modes, and in terms of volume, this figure reached 99 percent, he said.
With 100 crore internet users, more than 181 billion UPI transactions, and 57 crore Jan Dhan accounts, India is rapidly advancing towards becoming a cyber success society, Shah said.
“Securing these transactions is our highest priority,” he said.
The home minister also said that since its inception in 2020, the I4C set up by the MHA and its reporting portal has been accessed over 230 million times as of November 30, 2025, showing how important this platform has become.
“As of November 30, 2025, more than 8.2 million cybercrime-related complaints had been registered on the portal, of which 184,000 were converted into FIRs, and a large number of complaints were effectively resolved.
“Around 62 banks and financial institutions had joined this mechanism by December 31, 2025. The Ministry of Home Affairs has set a clear target to onboard all banking and financial institutions, including cooperative banks, fully into the system before December 2026,” Shah said.