NEW DELHI: Indian lost a staggering Rs 22,845.73 crore to cyber criminals in 2024, marking a sharp 206 per cent surge from the Rs 7,465.18 crore reported in 2023, the ministry of home affairs informed Parliament on Tuesday.Responding to a written question in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for home affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar cited data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), both operated by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).In 2024 alone, 36.37 lakh incidents of financial fraud were reported through these platforms, up from 24.42 lakh cases in 2023, news agency PTI reported.
A year-wise breakdown showed the number of reported cybercrime incidents climbing steadily:
- 2022: 10,29,026 cases ( up 127.44% YoY)
- 2023: 15,96,493 cases (up 55.15% YoY)
- 2024: 22,68,346 cases (up 42.08% YoY)
Launched in 2021, the CFCFRMS was designed to allow victims to report financial frauds quickly, giving authorities a chance to freeze or recover siphoned funds. According to the minister, the system has so far helped save over Rs 5,489 crore across 17.82 lakh complaints.In terms of crackdown measures, the Centre has blocked more than 9.42 lakh SIM cards and over 2.63 lakh IMEI numbers linked to cyber fraud. A Suspect Registry, launched in September 2024 in collaboration with banks and financial institutions, has gathered over 11 lakh suspect identifiers and flagged more than 24 lakh mule accounts — helping prevent an estimated Rs 4,631 crore in further fraud.Kumar also highlighted the ‘Pratibimb’ module, a newly launched tool that maps cybercriminal networks and their infrastructure across geographies. The tool has led to 10,599 arrests, 26,096 linkages uncovered, 63,019 investigation assistance requests processed.The enforcement of cybercrime cases, including FIRs, arrests, and prosecutions, remains the responsibility of state and union territory police forces.
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