Patna, Aug 7 (PTI) Bihar’s Nawada, Nalanda, Patna and Sheikhpura districts are among the country’s top 15 cyber-crime hotspots, officials said.
This was revealed during a review meeting chaired by Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit in Patna.
The meeting was attended by Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar, all DMs, SSPs and SPs of the state through video conferencing.
According to a statement issued by the Bihar government, Nawada ranked second, Nalanda fourth, Patna seventh and Sheikhpura fifteenth among districts identified as cybercrime hotspots in the country.
Patna is also one of the leading locations for fraudulent cash withdrawals through ATMs and cheques, it added.
The statement highlighted that under Operation Cyber Prahar, authorities verified 6,251 mule bank accounts, initiated legal action against 702 persons and arrested 507 accused.
Officials also highlighted progress in assisting cyber fraud victims through the Money Restoration Module (MRM).
Under MRM, 5,642 out of 16,593 eligible cases have been processed, leading to restoration orders worth Rs 224.53 lakh. Under the Grievance Redressal Module (GRM), Bihar has achieved a disposal rate of more than 98 per cent in complaints related to improper freezing of bank accounts, the statement read.
In terms of using technology to investigate cyber-crimes, Bihar Police disposed of 90.22 per cent of inter-state investigation requests received through the Samnavya portal. Additionally, 75.65 per cent of URLs flagged through the Sahyog portal for hosting illegal or misleading cyber content have been removed, officials said.
The chief secretary asked officials to expedite registration of e-Zero FIRs in cyber fraud cases involving losses of Rs 1 lakh or more and ensure their prompt conversion into regular FIRs through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal.
He also instructed DMs to work closely with District-Level Bankers’ Committees (DLBCs) to accelerate the freezing of mule accounts and facilitate the return of defrauded funds to victims.
Amrit ordered a special campaign against agents and criminal gangs involved in issuing SIM cards using forged documents and other fraudulent point-of-sale operations.
The chief secretary directed officials to display the National Cyber Helpline number (1930) on electricity bills, electricity payment mobile applications, Sudha Dairy product packaging and retail booths, municipal digital display boards and LED screens, besides continuing weekly cyber awareness programmes in schools and colleges under initiatives like ‘Cyber Tuesday’, the statement said.
Meanwhile, district police in Bihar’s Gaya Ji arrested nine cyber criminals and seized 15 mobile phones, six laptops, 22 ATM/credit/debit cards, four laptop chargers, one Wi-Fi router, a 500 GB hard disk, an extension wire, a notebook, and Rs 9,500 in cash during a raid.
Addressing a press conference, Gaya Ji SSP Sushil Kumar said the operation was carried out as part of a special drive against cyber criminals in the district.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a fake call centre operating from Motimani Apartment on White House Compound Road in the city and made the arrests and seizures, officials said. PTI CORR SUK RG
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.