Notwithstanding intensified awareness campaigns and public advisories issued by law enforcement agencies, cybercrimes in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have been rising at an alarming rate year after year.
According to the latest data tabled in the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, there has been a massive surge in online fraud, scams, and digital financial crimes across the Union Territory.
The data reveals that cyber fraud incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have been increasing with each passing year. While 2,515 cybercrimes were reported in 2021, the number jumped to 4,465 in 2022. In 2023, the figure further rose to 5,389 cases. However, it is the data for 2024 that has raised alarm, showing a nearly 300 percent surge with a staggering 15,088 cases.
Even more concerning is that in just the first six months of 2025 alone, 12,129 cybercrime cases have already been registered, indicating that this year may break all previous records if the trend continues.
9.42 Lakh SIM Cards Blocked
Authorities have blocked as many as 9.42 lakh SIM cards and 2,63,348 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers for their alleged involvement in cybercrime activities across the country.
As per data shared by the government in the Rajya Sabha, as many as 22,68,346 cyber fraud cases were reported across India in 2020 alone.
"So far, more than 9.42 lakh SIM cards and 2,63,348 IMEIs, as reported by police authorities, have been blocked by the Government of India," the data revealed.
Steps Taken to Curb Cyber Fraud
To strengthen the mechanism to deal with cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, the Central Government has taken several initiatives.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) as an attached office to deal with all types of cybercrimes across the country in a systematic and coordinated way.
As part of the I4C, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) https://cybercrime.gov.in has been launched to enable the public to report incidents related to all types of cybercrimes, with a special focus on crimes against women and children.
Cybercrime incidents reported on the portal, their conversion into FIRs, and subsequent action are handled by the respective State/UT law enforcement agencies as per the provisions of the law.
To address financial fraud specifically, the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) was launched under I4C in 2021 for the immediate reporting of financial scams and to prevent siphoning of funds by fraudsters. According to data from the CFCFRMS, over ₹5,489 crore has been saved based on more than 17.82 lakh complaints received so far.
A toll-free helpline number (1930) has also been made operational to assist victims in lodging online cyber complaints quickly.
A state-of-the-art Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC) has been established under I4C, where representatives of major banks, financial intermediaries, payment aggregators, telecom service providers, IT intermediaries, and State/UT law enforcement agencies work together for immediate action and seamless coordination in tackling cyber fraud.
To enhance capacity at the grassroots level, the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) scheme to States and UTs. This includes funding for the establishment of cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories, the hiring of junior cyber consultants, and training programs for law enforcement personnel, public prosecutors, and judicial officers.
As of now, cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories have been commissioned in 33 States/UTs, and more than 24,600 law enforcement personnel, judicial officers, and prosecutors have been trained in cybercrime awareness, investigation, forensics, and related areas.
The MHA is also regularly organizing 'State Connect', 'Thana Connect', and peer learning sessions to share best practices and strengthen institutional capacity across jurisdictions.
A National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (Investigation) has been established in New Delhi as part of I4C to provide early-stage cyber forensic assistance to Investigating Officers (IOs) of State/UT police departments.
"So far, the National Cyber Forensics Laboratory (Investigation) has provided services in around 12,460 cybercrime cases," the data revealed.
Additionally, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform called 'CyTrain' has been developed under I4C to support the capacity building of police and judicial officers through online courses on key aspects of cybercrime investigation, forensics, prosecution, etc. Over 1,05,796 police officers from various States/UTs have registered on the portal, and more than 82,704 certificates have been issued.
