The rising number of cyber crime and data theft cases in the Millennium City is posing a threat to its image of a global IT and software industry hub. The city has already reported 98 such cases in the first four months this year as compared to 150 cases last year.
Since most data thefts are not reported and the pace of investigation remains slow, the trend has created a challenge for the IT industry, which is the breeding ground for most cases.
According to a survey carried out by the Centre for Transforming India, an NGO, the city witnesses around 20 to 30 cases of data theft on a daily basis.
However, interestingly, the National Crime Research Bureau’s 2009 report on national cyber crime figures (including cases registered under the IT Act 2000 and the IPC 1860) does not report any significant increase in the number of cyber crime cases registered in Gurgaon, while a remarkable increase has been observed in other IT hubs like Pune and Bangalore and even in non-IT destinations like Chhattisgarh.
“Data thefts are the biggest challenge for an IT or BPO company and lack of action on part of law enforcement agencies is contrary to the interests of IT and BPO companies in the city. The issue is likely to be taken up by US politicians soon and the IT industry will face a growing dissent on the issue,” said Pankaj Sharma, chief trustee, Centre for Transforming India.
{{/usCountry}}“Data thefts are the biggest challenge for an IT or BPO company and lack of action on part of law enforcement agencies is contrary to the interests of IT and BPO companies in the city. The issue is likely to be taken up by US politicians soon and the IT industry will face a growing dissent on the issue,” said Pankaj Sharma, chief trustee, Centre for Transforming India.
{{/usCountry}}On the other hand, the city police say they are now providing training to their staff to counter such crimes.
“To counter this menace, we need specially-trained staff. Though we have a number of efficient officials, we need qualified people at the grass-root level to curb such cases as more and more bank frauds and phone-related crimes are being reported,” said a senior police official.