41% jump in cyber crimes across Maharashtra

According to data provided by Minister of State for Home, Ranjit Patil, the conviction rate in these cases has remained low at 16.67% in 2017.

Cyber crime cases in Maharashtra have gone up 41% in 2017 from the previous year and 86% from 2012.

Cyber crime cases in Maharashtra have gone up 41% in 2017.(HT File/Representational Image)

According to data provided by Minister of State for Home, Ranjit Patil, the conviction rate in these cases has remained low at 16.67% in 2017.

Patil said the conviction rate is low as the prosecution does not have the required knowledge about cyber laws.

“It is a new challenge and thus our prosecution could be lacking the knowledge in cyber laws. We are going to train them and police personnel to handle such cases adeptly,” Patil said.

In a bid to improve conviction rate and to train police personnel to deal with rising cyber crime , the minister said the state will provide training programme for prosecution lawyers. The state government is formulating a digital technology-based policy on “predictive policing” to curb spread of social media messages that could create unrest in the state.

The policy is a part of the state government’s cyber crime modernisation project.

Patil, said, “The government will soon come up with a predictive policing policy, wherein the police will be able to use past cases and techniques of miscreants, who tried to fuel unrest through social media to ensure such incidents are not repeated. This will be done through high-tech tools.”

In 2012, the number of cases stood at 561 and the conviction rate of these cases was 20%.

In 2016, cybercrimes went up to 2,380 cases and the conviction rate was 23.53 in the same year. Last year, 4,035 cases were registered across the state and the conviction was 16.67% – a drop of 6.86% from 2016.