Chandigarh: Haryana has emerged as one of the country’s top-performing states in recovering money lost in cyber fraud, recording a 31 per cent refund rate through Money Restoration Module (MRM). The state’s recovery rate is over eight times the national average of 3.85 per cent. The achievement was highlighted during a review meeting chaired by Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
The Money Restoration Module (MRM), launched by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in June, is designed to help victims of cyber fraud recover their lost money by streamlining the refund process.
According to officials, Haryana received 2,241 refund orders in 7,316 cyber fraud cases under the MRM, developed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). The state’s recovery rate of 31 per cent significantly outperformed the national average, reflecting improved coordination and faster response mechanisms.
The review meeting also highlighted the state’s crackdown on cybercrime through the Sahyog Portal. During the first six months of 2026, authorities removed 14,139 illegal online contents, including phishing websites, fake advertisements, fraudulent social media posts and private photographs shared without consent.
AI-Powered Cyber Policing Expanded
Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi directed officials to further strengthen technology-driven policing by expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for cyber surveillance and cybercrime investigations.
SP (Cyber) Mayank Gupta said the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C), established in Panchkula in 2023, has significantly expanded its operations. The centre now includes dedicated units for AI integration, social media monitoring, online crimes against children and women (OCWC), cyber awareness campaigns and intelligence gathering. It is also strengthening capabilities in cyber investigation training, research, dark web investigations and virtual digital asset tracking.
To ensure quicker action in cyber fraud cases, Haryana launched the e-Zero FIR facility on June 25. Under this system, cyber fraud complaints involving losses of more than Rs 1 lakh, received through the national cybercrime helpline 1930, are automatically converted into Zero FIRs and forwarded to the concerned cyber police stations for immediate investigation.
Officials said Haryana Police has intensified its crackdown on organised cybercrime.
Between January 2025 and June 2026, Haryana Police have:
- Registered 473 suo motu FIRs
- Arrested 927 cybercriminals
- Seized 751 mobile phones
- Recovered 1,442 SIM cards
- Blocked over 43,000 mobile numbers
- Blocked 5,007 IMEI numbers linked to cyber fraud
- In addition, 3,947 cybercriminals were arrested across Haryana during the first half of 2026 alone.
Around 9,100 police personnel received cybercrime investigation training between January 2025 and June 2026. At present, 675 trained personnel are exclusively engaged in cybercrime investigations across the state.
The review also assessed cyber awareness initiatives undertaken by Haryana Police. During the first six months of 2026, the department conducted 1,322 public awareness programmes, reaching nearly 3.14 lakh people with information on preventing cyber fraud and online scams.
Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi concluded that Haryana state will continue strengthening technology-based policing and public awareness to improve cybercrime detection, prevention and recovery of victims’ money.
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