Karaikal district gets its first cyber security cell to check online crimes

As part of the modernisation of the Union Territory police force and to improve law enforcement using technologies, the Karaikal district police have set up a dedicated cyber crime cell, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the district to deal with the increasing number of cyber crimes.

As part of the modernisation of the Union Territory police force and to improve law enforcement using technologies, the Karaikal district police have set up a dedicated cyber crime cell, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the district to deal with the increasing number of cyber crimes.

Manish, Senior Superintendent of Police, Karaikal district, inaugurated the cyber crime cell on Thursday. The specialised unit, which functions at the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police, is headed by an officer in the rank of Inspector of Police and three more handpicked police personnel equipped with computer knowledge and proficiency in cyber operations.

I. Praveen Kumar, Inspector of the Cyber Crime Cell, said the cell would directly receive complaints from the petitioners, analyse and forward them to the respective police stations for investigation. The cell would look after cyber complaints, including online financial fraud, sextortion, phishing, software piracy, cyber stalking, copyright infringement, and hacking at the central level, besides aiding the six police stations and an all-women police station in the district to deal with cases that require technological assistance, including collecting shreds of evidence.

Earlier, the Cyber Crime Police Station at Puducherry was investigating all the online fraud cases reported in Karaikal district. The establishment of a dedicated cyber cell in Karaikal came in the aftermath of increasing pendency of cyber crime cases registered in the enclave. According to the data available in the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, as many as 256 cyber crime cases have been pending in the district, which is relatively high considering the extent of the enclave, said police sources.

Three more police personnel, currently undergoing a specialised training programme on cyber crime, would join the team soon, said the police sources and added that based on the nature of the cyber crime, advanced gadgets would be procured in the future.