State to open e-police station

Growing incidents of cyber crime and the need to protect BPO interests spur home department to byte back at online criminals

Mateen Hafeez I TNN Mumbai: Maharashtra is finally getting its own fullfledged, cyber crime police station. City police sources said the rising number of cyber crimes as well as the need to protect the growing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has made it imperative for the state to get its own committed cyber crime-fighting unit with access to stateof-the-art technology.

The police station has been sanctioned by the home department and is expected to be functioning within three months. It will be the third such police station in the country after the ones in India’s IT meccas of Bangalore and Hyderabad. The cyber police will also tackle financial terrorism, which involves money-laundering and hawala, and the online flesh trade.

The police station, with state-wide jurisdiction, will get money from the budget set aside for modernisation plans approved by the central and state governments. The present 18-member Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) in the Mumbai police force will be absorbed by the 61-strong cyber crime police station.

Joint commissioner of police (administration), Hemant Karkare, said, “The cyber crime police station will have the authority to register FIRs and investigate cases, unlike the present CCIC.’’

“All cases under the Information Technology Act will be dealt with by the cyber police station, which will also make arrests. However, the 2,000-square-foot police station may not have a lock-up, so suspects may be kept at other lock-ups,’’ added Karkare.

A senior police officer said the creation of such a police station could also attract more IT companies to the region. IT companies are attracted to Bangalore and Hyderabad because the cities afford protection from cyber crime, he said. “Once the police station is started, MNCs may prefer to make Mumbai their base,’’ he said. Bangalore’s cyber crime cell, in existence from 1999, was converted into a police station in September 2001.

Recently, the CCIC detected a huge case of e-crime in which an airline had to suffer losses of Rs 13.47 crore after 15,255 tickets were booked online. In another case, the CCIC arrested a Bhopal teenager, Mohammed Sharique, after he sent threatening emails posing as a member of an unknown terror outfit in the wake of the 7/11 bombings.

The CCIC also helped arrest a man who sent an email threatening to bomb the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade.

Former IPS officer and esecurity expert, Sanjay Pandey, said there was also need to define cyber crime in central and local laws. “It’s good that the government is making an effort to tackle cyber crime, but it’s also necessary to define cyber crime in laws,’’ said Pandey. “The Information Technology Act is an IT act and not an IT crime act.’’

WHAT IS CYBER CRIME?
Crimes that involve the use of computers and do not result in direct damage or loss to life and/or property are classified as cyber crimes

COMMON CYBER CRIMES
Hacking into websites, webpages, e-mail accounts etc Illegally transferring bank deposits through online means Illegal borrowing or purchasing on others’ credit/debit cards Unauthorised online booking of air tickets, hotel reservations etc Online flesh trade Financial terrorism, including money laundering and hawala scams Theft of intellectual property rights Illegal data conversion from one form of computer data to another Internet time theft Virus/worm attacks Email bombing, spamming

FREQUENCY OF CASES
On average, the city police deal with 35 to 40 cases a year
The cyber crime cell assists in 10 to 12 of these cases
The new police station will be expected to handle all cases One of its major tasks will be to protect Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) establishments

CYBER CRIME INVESTIGATION CELL
Set up in December 2001 as part of Mumbai police’s Crime Branch (Enforcement)
Can operate only in jurisdiction of Mumbai police
Does not have power to register cases
Cannot make arrests
Has power to only assist city police stations in cyber crime investigations Has staff strength of 18 Is headed by an assistant commissioner of police Located in a 250-square-foot office at police headquarters, Crawford Market

CYBER CRIME POLICE STATION
Expected to be functioning in three months. Will absorb the city police’s existing cyber crime cell
Will be the third such police station in the country after the ones in Bangalore and Hyderabad
Jurisdiction will be statewide. City cases will be reported to Crime Branch, other cases to DGP
Will have authority to register FIRs and investigate all cases
Can make arrests
Staff strength will be 61
Will have 4 assistant commissioners, 4 inspectors, 17 sub-inspectors and 36 constables
Will be a full-fledged, hi-tech police station with better hardware and software than existing cyber cell. Money will come from budget for the police modernisation plan approved by the state and central governments
Could be set up on 2,000 square feet either at Worli police station or Bandra-Kurla Complex police station

The Times of India, September 6, 2007