Cybercrimes rise 300% between 2023 & 2024 in Pune: Data

Pune: Cybercrime cases in the city rose over 300% to 1,504 between 2023 and 2024, according to the ‘Crime in India 2024' report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday.The graph showed that digital fraud has become one of Pune's fastest-growing crimes as dependence on digital payments, online investments and app-based transactions has increased rapidly.In the past few years, from 2020 to 2024, Pune recorded 238, 225, 357, 487 and 1,504 cybercrime cases, respectively. Since 2020, the cases have seen a fivefold rise till 2024. The cases trippled between 2023 and 2024.According to the Pune police data released on Dec 29, 2025, 743 cybercrime cases amounting to Rs 221 crore were registered in 2025 as compared to 1,505 cases the previous year.Cyber forensic expert Sandip Gadiya told TOI that greed, fear, lack of awareness and carelessness were the key reasons behind the increase in online financial fraud. "Uncertainty in the market, inflation and job layoffs led the people to find other options to earn more. The crooks lure these people with different offers and dupe them," Gadiya said.The report indicated that the cybercrimes have also increased nationally from 86,420 in 2023 to 1,01,928 in 2024, a rise of around 18%.The nature of cybercrimes in Pune has also evolved, with online financial frauds forming the majority of these 1,504 cases in 2024. Other offences included identity theft, cyber stalking, cyber blackmailing and publication of obscene content online.He said awareness has been the only option to avert cybercrimes. "All the agencies, including police, banks and cellphone companies, should come together and start the Cyber Safe India initiative," he said.Investigative pendency was another worrying aspect to look for in the NCRB report. The data showed Pune police had over 2,000 cybercrime investigations pending from previous years in 2024. Of the total 2,918 cases available for investigation, only 96 were closed.According to recent TOI reports, Puneites lost over Rs 452 crore in online share-trading frauds since 2024, with fraudsters increasingly targeting professionals, senior citizens and digitally active investors through fake trading apps and messaging platforms.The NCRB data underlined a larger transformation in urban crime patterns. "Street crimes may fluctuate, but cyber fraud has been expanding steadily as more financial and social activities move online. For Pune, one of India's largest IT and education hubs, the data signalled that cybercrime was no longer a niche policing issue, but an everyday public safety challenge affecting students, professionals, businesses and senior citizens alike," a cybercrime expert said.