IT boom effect: Bengaluru tops all-India chart in cyber crimes

India's IT city Bengaluru has turned into a breeding ground for rising technology-related crimes in the country. 

 

According to the 'Crime Report 2015' published by the National Crimes Records Bureau, Bengaluru has recorded a whopping 1041 cases in a span of one year. The city has topped the chart by recording the highest number of IT-related crimes among all the megacities in the country.

 

The top five cities that recorded the highest number of IT-related crimes include Bengaluru (1041), Jaipur (459), Hyderabad (354), Kanpur (338) and Lucknow (329).

 

The growing number of IT-relate crimes is directly proportional to the flourishing start-up and IT industry in the city.

 

A news report on Gadgets Now mentions that the increasing trend of cyber crimes in Bengaluru mainly includes credit/debit card frauds, identity theft, matrimonial frauds, banking related scams and distribution of obscene photos.

 

"In a city like Bengaluru where the Information Technology sector is enormous, it is understandable if the cyber-crime rates are high. When the users of technology are high, the crimes related to it will also be high," said Rajendran V, president of the Cyber Society of India.

 

He added, "However, there have been many incidences of security breaches that go unreported. The figures mentioned in the NCRB is just the official number, but a significant number of cases go unrecorded."

 

"The bitter truth of the current situation is that neither the judiciary nor the law enforcing authorities have adequate training to deal with technology-related crimes. There is a huge disconnect between those who know the law and those who understand technology," Rajendran said.

 

When asked how this gap can be bridged, Rajendran explained "We need to train the police to handle cyber-crime cases. The training they receive as of now is not enough. Also, people with background and experience in technology have to be recruited in the police department who understand technology and its loopholes."

 

According to the Gadgets Now report, the 60-member team of the cyber cell in Karnataka cannot tackle the thousands of IT-related crime cases that keep piling up. There is a lack of manpower and technological facilities to aid cyber-crime cops to solve more cases. 

 

Rajendran added, "The conviction rate in cyber-crime cases is negligible. There is not much awareness of the IT Act which leads to low conviction rates."

 

"It is an irony that the IT capital of the country which has resources such as engineering colleges and IT experts cannot tackle crimes related to technology," Rajendran signed off.

 

That said, last year MD Sharath, who was the DySP of the cyber crime division in Bengaluru, won the Cyber Cop Award for Excellence in Cyber Crime Investigation among 50 other entries in the country. This leaves us to believe that Bengaluru's police department has the skill to tackle cyber-crime cases but lacks the infrastructure and facilities to do so.

 

"India requires at least 77,000 ethical hackers every year but at present only a total of 15,000 hackers have been trained by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). It's not just Bengaluru which lacks infrastructure and manpower to tackle cyber-crime cases but the country as a whole that requires awareness on cyber-crime," said Shubham Singh, an ethical hacker who is currently working alongside Mumbai police.

 

He added, "India ranks second in terms of the highest number of internet users in the world after China. Interesting as it may sound, close to 80 Indians fall prey to cyber fraud every minute."

 

When contacted by Asianet Newsable, the Bengaluru Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) remained unavailable for comment.