Gurugram police to use volunteer cyber experts to probe fraud cases

Police said they have received over 2,000 complaints in January this year from the four cyber crime police stations across the city — East, West, South and Manesar — and have registered 46 cases. In February, they have already received 1,525 complaints and 15 cases have been registered, police added

Published on: Feb 17, 2023, 01:53:43 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Gurugram police will soon enlist the help of cyber experts as volunteers to solve complicated and long-pending cases. These experts will work with cyber crime teams and train them in open-source intelligence tools, police said on Thursday.

Gurugram police to use volunteer cyber experts to probe fraud cases

Police said their cyber teams are understaffed and the number of complaints is constantly on the rise due to which pendency of cases has also gone up.

Priyanshu Dewan, assistant commissioner of police (Cyber), said they have already received around 100 applications from cyber experts who want to volunteer and have interviewed 25 of them.

“This initiative will increase community outreach and our digital presence. There are many software tools that the experts use and our cyber team will also get exposure and expert knowledge from them. A new squad will be introduced soon who will work with cyber teams as volunteers. We need proper and regular technical assistance to solve the complicated cases,” ACP Dewan said.

Police said they receive at least 1,500 complaints every month but are unable to solve most of the cases due to shortage of cyber experts and they have to depend on outsourced agencies.

ACP Dewan said these volunteers will be known as ‘cyber safety officers’ (CSOs). “The criteria for their selection are domain knowledge and practical experience in the field of cyber security. We are looking for individuals with knowledge of artificial intelligence with expertise in both technology and software. We want to create technical capabilities to predict cyber crime trends, which will help us to remain a step ahead of fraudsters,” he said.

Police said they have received over 2,000 complaints in January this year from the four cyber crime police stations across the city — East, West, South and Manesar — and have registered 46 cases. In February, they have already received 1,525 complaints and 15 cases have been registered, police added.

On March 7, 2018, the first cyber police station was inaugurated in Gurugram, for facilitating registration of cyber crime cases. In 2017, of the total 3,297 complaints received, 1,916 pertained to online banking fraud and cheating through credit or debit cards or through smartphones. A further 264 complaints were related to Facebook, another 240 of internet frauds and 51 of data theft.

According to police, CSOs will assist cyber crime police teams in conducting community outreach programmes such as ‘cyber raahgiri’ and workshops in educational institutes on the safe use of social media.

ACP Dewan said the CSOs will also help the cyber police teams in designing cyber safety interventions and projects, attend cyber police meetings, interact with students, residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) and educate parents about safeguarding their children from cyber crimes and assist police in building and enhancing social media outreach of the cyber wing.

Police said they already have a similar programme for traffic management where they have roped in road safety officers (RSOs) who help police in traffic management and creating awareness about traffic norms.

Dewan said anyone interested in joining Gurugram police as cyber expert can reach him at 9315130652 or send an email at acpcyberggm.pol@hry.gov.in.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More