Bengaluru residents lost Rs 517 crore to cybercrime since 2019: Report

In 2023, the people of Karnataka lost at least Rs 1 crore a day with more than Rs 36 crore having been stolen by cybercriminals, while the same stood at more than Rs 84 lakh in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru residents have lost a staggering Rs 517.6 crore to cybercrime in four years, losing close to Rs 35 lakh a day, despite increased public awareness and government attempts to stop it.

It is reportedly said that Bengaluru accounted for 72 percent of all such money lost across Karnataka. A statewide analysis shows that people in Karnataka lost more than Rs 722 crore in the same period (January 2019 to January 2023), at a rate of more than Rs 48 lakh a day.

According to data from the home department, the money people lost has increased each year at both the state level and in the city. However, the amount recovered from cybercrooks remains low.

From Rs 71.2 crore in the state and Rs 47.6 crore in Bengaluru in 2019, the amount jumped by 49% and 66%, respectively, in 2020.

From there, the state saw a jump of 37% in 2021, while it was 24% in Bengaluru. The numbers further jumped in 2022 too when more than Rs 363 crore, including Rs 266.7 crore in Bengaluru, was lost.

In 2023, the people of Karnataka lost at least Rs 1 crore a day with more than Rs 36 crore having been stolen by cybercriminals, while the same stood at more than Rs 84 lakh in Bengaluru.

Out of the Rs 722 crore, the money recovered by the authorities stands at Rs 97.3 crore from cybercrooks and remains low. Of the Rs 97.3 crore, Rs 63 crore was recovered from incidents in Bengaluru.

While this information was made available by home minister Araga Jnanendra in response to a specific question from legislator M Nagaraju, he also gave information in reply to a separate question by legislator Chandrashekar B Patil.

As part of the second reply, Jnanendra said, "Cases are being booked under IPC and IT Act. As part of preventive measures, we are creating a specialised cyberpolice station in each district, besides having directed every police station to accept complaints about cybercrime."

As per his second reply, between January 2020 and January 2023, at least 32,746 cybercrimes have been recorded in the state involving over 11,125 accused. In this period, Jnanendra said 1,503 of the accused have been arrested.