As e-fraud grows, KP bolsters cyber wing

Kolkata: The cyber cell of Kolkata Police at Lalbazar has been expanded into a cybercrime branch, with seven specialised units led by separate OCs. Each unit is assigned a specific job that will help stop and pre-empt cybercrime. The green signal from Nabanna, complete with the governor's approval for the proposal, reached Lalbazar on Thursday. The development comes amidst the city recording 30,540 cases of cyber fraud between 2024 and 2025."The cyber cell will now be set up as a cyber crime branch under the detective department. The proposal was submitted by Kolkata Police on Aug 22 last year, and a subsequent communication was made on Nov 27 seeking administrative approval," an official said.
The seven wings of the cyber crime branch (CCB) will include the main Cyber Crime Police Station, an organised cyber crime section, a cyber security and cyber safety section, a cyber fraud recovery section, a cyber forensics laboratory, a cyber crime co-ordination and support section, and a social media monitoring cell.Kolkata Police said manpower for the branch will be arranged from existing personnel within the detective department, and infrastructure development will be met from existing Kolkata Police resources. For technology requirements, Kolkata Police said software and hardware for the branch will be procured from the Nirbhaya Fund under the modernisation scheme of Kolkata Police.The order was issued with concurrence of the finance department on Dec 29 last year. It also received subsequent approval of the state cabinet on Feb 5 this year.The developments, claimed cops, were planned owing to the demands of the present times. Despite an all-out attempt from police, several citizens are losing crores after falling prey to cybercrime. In cases where the money is stopped at various bank gateways before reaching the fraudsters, the recovery process is taking time. There are also complaints that interstate agencies are not co-ordinating with each other.While former Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma had proposed the expansion of the cyber cell into a cybercrime branch, current commissioner Supratim Sarkar has put tackling of cybercrime at the top of his priority list. The second part of the proposal, which will see the creation of two positions — joint CP cyber and joint CP legal — is pending.Sources said splitting the cyber cell into smaller units with specific tasks was a crucial reform required. Cops are also setting up a specialised cyber blocking cell that will block SIM cards, social media handles, websites, or anything available online reportedly used to carry out online fraud.