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Mohali gets country’s 4th digital investigation centre
COMBATTING CYBER CRIME: Set up in view of Punjab’s vulnerability to infiltration and drug smuggling and increased use of technology for crime
Punjab chief minister captain Amarinder Singh on Monday inaugurated state-of-the-art Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) in Mohali.
To strengthen the state’s anti-terror capabilities in face of a growing cyber terror threat, particularly along the vulnerable bordering areas exposed to infiltration and narcotics smuggling, this centre underlines criticality of cyber intelligence gathering.
This is the fourth such establishment in the country, set up for the augmentation of the state’s cyber threat intelligence network. CM said the new emerging cyber threats had necessitated the enhancement of online technical intelligence systems. The other three units exist in Gurugram, Guwahati and Uttarakhand.
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT GEOGRAPHY OF STATE
Stressing on the importance of a robust intelligence gathering apparatus, especially for a border state like Punjab that shares 553 km with a hostile neighbour, CM said the state’s geographical location made it extremely vulnerable to infiltration and smuggling of narcotics.
With cyber crime emerging as a graver unconventional threat, it was vital to reinvent and revisit techniques to ensure the safety and security of the people online, he said.
The facility set up at the state cyber crime cell as a collaborative venture between of the Punjab Police and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), will help scale up the state’s operational preparedness in the field of cyber forensics, social media analytics and cryptology, said the CM.
A JOINT VENTURE
Expressing concern over the increasing use of technology in criminal activities, the CM underlined the need to utilise digital evidence for legal purposes, thus ensuring that investigations in cases of online crime and frauds are taken to their logical conclusion.
Digital forensic investigations conducted in a time bound manner could nail the culprits and bring online frauds under check, he added.
Deputy general of police Dinkar Gupta assured the CM that sophisticated tools and software employed at the centre will hasten the process of investigation and detection of crime online.
NTRO chairman Satish Chandra Jha said, “Intelligence is the difference between any terrorist attack and its prevention,” adding that training of personnel will further fortify the state government’s efforts to counter cyber terror and crimes.
Bureau of Investigations director Prabodh Kumar described the unit as the merger of the state’s efforts in cyber forensics and development of anti-cyber crime infrastructure.
