The total number of cybercrimes in 2024 reached 404, the same as the previous year, according to data made available by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). However, substantive trends varied, as the year saw a sharp increase in cases of digital arrest, a new type of cyber fraud, in which victims are forced to transfer their life savings under the threat of arrest and long-term imprisonment.
Police officers familiar with the matter said that although the total number of cybercrimes decreased from 407 recorded in 2023, this may not be indicative of the reality on the ground, due to low public awareness or lack of knowledge about new scams.
A Delhi Police spokesperson said: “We all file cases that are reported to us. Some complaints also get beaten up. Sometimes, people do not report crimes due to shame or other reasons. However, this was in 2024. Now, people are more aware and we encourage people to file more FIRs, even if the amount is low.”
In most digital arrests, scammers pose as law enforcement agencies in phone calls, threaten to arrest their victims “digitally” and then keep them on a video call for hours to force them to transfer money.
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To be sure, the National Council on Sexual Violence does not cite digital arrests as a motive or as a separate reason.
According to NCRB data, sexual exploitation and fraud were the most common motives for cyber crimes in Delhi in 2024. Police disposed of 414 cases, filed chargesheet in 322 at a rate of 77.8%, and a suspension rate of 76.5%.
At the same time, economic crimes decreased slightly, from 4,586 in 2023 to 4,524 in 2024. Cases related to forgery, fraud, and fraud dominated this category, amounting to 4,237 cases.
Chargesheets were filed in 2,830 of these cases, and police disposed of 4,871 cases, including the backlog of cases from the previous year.
Delhi ranked fourth among major cities in economic crimes, after Mumbai (7,771), Hyderabad (5,839), and Jaipur (5,471).
Cyber law expert and Supreme Court lawyer Dr Pavan Duggal said there has been no appreciable decline in cases and alleged that non-reporting by police creates a “misleading picture”, even as cyber crimes continue to rise across India, calling it a “cyber crime pandemic”.
He said: “This report is like closing your eyes to the sun. The numbers do not reflect the reality on the ground.”
