Bengaluru’s cybercrime helplines remain switched off and unanswered amid rising scams

Of the nine CEN hotlines, only the South CEN station in Banashankari and the Whitefield CEN station responded to calls.

Bengaluru, the IT capital of India, is grappling with a peculiar issue. Despite a surge in cybercrime, most of the city’s dedicated hotlines for reporting such incidents remain inaccessible, either switched off or left ringing indefinitely.

Representational Image. (Shutterstock)

According to a PTI report, of the nine CEN hotlines, only the South CEN station in Banashankari and the Whitefield CEN station responded to calls. The rest remained unreachable, exposing a glaring gap in Bengaluru’s cybercrime redressal mechanism.

This issue came to light after Dushyant Dubey, a social activist and founder of the NGO St Brofus’ Army, flagged the problem on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). Dubey shared a video documenting his failed attempts to contact the East Division CEN hotline, showcasing the lack of responsiveness from the designated numbers.

“It all began when a cybercrime victim was directed to contact the East Division CEN station. The number provided didn’t work. That’s when we started digging deeper,” Dubey told PTI.

Using a list of public hotline numbers obtained through an RTI query (HMBUH/R/2024/60754) on October 18, Dubey and his team began calling the numbers randomly. Their findings were grim. "These numbers exist only on paper," Dubey remarked, adding that he documented the ordeal in a video and shared it online with the caption: "How can a hotline phone be switched off at 3.51 PM on a working day when citizens need it most?"

Despite tagging Bengaluru City Police officials in his posts, Dubey said he has yet to receive any acknowledgment or response. He also shared screenshots of similar complaints from other users on X, highlighting how victims are routinely directed to a specific number—9449295760—which is notorious for being unhelpful.

When contacted, an Assistant Commissioner of Police from the South CEN station admitted to receiving an average of five complaints daily. However, he explained that the station prioritizes cases involving financial losses above ₹2 lakh, advising victims of smaller crimes to approach their local police stations instead.

The hotline at the Whitefield CEN station did respond, but the officer on duty redirected inquiries to an in-person visit to the station for further assistance.

Repeated attempts to reach Deputy Inspector General of Police, Cybercrime and Narcotics, Sudheer Kumar Reddy, whose contact details are publicly available, were also unsuccessful. His listed phone number went unanswered, PTI reported.

Bengaluru tops digital fraud cases

In 2024, residents of Karnataka have been defrauded of ₹109.01 crore through elaborate digital arrest scams, where criminals impersonate government officials to extract money.

These figures were disclosed by Home Minister G Parameshwara on December 12 during a session of the Karnataka Legislative Council, PTI reported. Despite efforts, police have managed to recover only ₹9.45 crore—less than 10 per cent of the total losses.

Addressing a question raised by BJP MLC K Prathap Simha Nayak, the minister revealed that the state recorded 641 cases of these scams this year. Bengaluru topped the list with 480 incidents—nearly three-fourths of the total. Mysuru reported 24 cases, while Mangaluru logged 21.

(With PTI inputs)