Chandigarh recorded an alarming 17,075 cybercrime complaints in the past two years, with the total financial losses amounting to a staggering Rs 95 crore, of which only Rs 14.86 crore, less than 16 per cent, was recovered, disclosed the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police in an RTI reply, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of existing investigative mechanisms.
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According to official data, compiled for the period between April 2023 and March 2025, a total of 17,075 complaints were filed, 244 FIRs were registered, and 200 arrests were made, indicating a large number of complaints never progressed to the FIR stage.
The data further reveals a consistent rise in the cases of online cheating, phishing, UPI scams, fake job offers and other forms of financial cybercrimes.
March 2024 recorded the highest monthly loss, with over Rs 7.97 crore defrauded, followed by February 2024 (Rs 6.26 crore) and May 2024 (Rs 6.24 crore). However, the recovery continues to remain low.
February 2025 saw the highest monthly recovery of Rs 2.58 crore, followed by Rs 1.31 crore in January 2025 and Rs 1.04 crore in March 2024.
The data also highlights a trend of low FIR registration vis-à-vis the number of complaints. For instance, 923 complaints were received in July 2024, yet only 26 FIRs were registered.
In August 2024, out of 864 complaints, just 6 FIRs were filed. Despite the low number of FIRs, arrests were made in several months — 13 in July 2023, 14 in September 2024, and 11 in December 2024.
“The rise in cybercrime is due to the increasing use of digital payments and the internet in daily life, coupled with a lack of awareness among users,” said Ram Kumar Garg, an RTI activist and the president of Second Innings Association.
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“Amount-wise and category-wise, the number of frauds is increasing tremendously. The government should take it seriously and seek international coordination and expert manpower to curtail, if not stop it wholly. Supply of SIM, unauthentic Aadhaar and banks need to be tightened,” Garg added.
However, DSP (Cyber Crime) A Venkatesh said, “In several complaints, complainants get their money back during the preliminary investigation, and then do not pursue their complaints further. So, not all complaints turned into FIRs, as every FIR is registered after a thorough inquiry.”
Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Police has urged the public to remain vigilant and report such incidents on the Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the national cybercrime portal (cybercrime.gov.in).
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