Lack of FIRs hinders cyber sleuths

Victims Hesitate To File Complaint As Culprit Is Usually Known To Them

By Mateen Hafeez/TNN

Mumbai: In 2005, the cyber crime investigation cell (CCIC) in the city received 143 complaints—almost one complaint every second day—a reasonable number for a city of the size of Mumbai.

However, it translated into only one first information report (FIR). Going by the account of officers in the cell, all of whom are specially trained to tackle cyber crimes, victims hesitate to file an FIR once they realise that the culprit is either a friend, neighbour or acquaintance.

For example, a group of students, all girls, from the psychology department of Mumbai University, approached the CCIC complaining that they had received morphed photographs showing one of their classmates naked over email. “The students were upset as they felt that the accused could have done the same with their photographs as well,’’ a source told TOI.

During investigations the police found that one of the girls who had broken off with her boyfriend recently had received the email from him. It transpired that she had created a bogus email ID in the name of her boyfriend’s cousin, who lived in Dubai. She forwarded the mail to her boyfriend and later to the other girls.

Her boyfriend was surprised when he received this email since the “ sender ’ ’ was his cousin.“She wanted to continue the relationship with her boyfriend but didn’t know how to go about it. She thought the email fiasco would help her to patch up with him and gather his sympathy. Investigators found that the IP address from where the mail was sent to everyone indicated that it was the same girl. During questioning, she confessed, but the police could not arrest her since there was no formal FIR.

Said an officer, “Our aim is not just to arrest people but to educate them that there are cyber rules and something which they don’t think wrong may be illegal and they may be punished for it. If you receive any email containing morphed photos, you should not forward it but delete it since it may create problems for you.’’ Officers said the only solution lay in spreading awareness.

In yet another incident, a software engineer, who wanted to marry his classmate from college days, came to know about her wedding and started sending abusive and vulgar emails to the girl and her fiance too.

The girl, who was working with a national security agency, then informed the CCIC. Investigators zeroed in on a cyber cafe in Vidya Vihar. Later, it was revealed that the accused, a resident of Mulund (east), would come twice or thrice a week from Mulund to Vidya Vihar so that the IP address would mislead the police. When the girl found out who the culprit was she shocked, but she too refused to file a first information report.

In yet another incident, a former student of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, now employed with a leading media house, started receiving obscene emails soon after she sent out invites for her wedding to all her friends. The mails were traced to a 50-yearold former classmate of hers.

The Times of India, February 7, 2006