Gurugram Police cyber cell’s cup runneth over with internship applications
Naina Arora
Gurugram Police have a problem of plenty on their hands. The response to the force’s call for internship with their cyber cell has surpassed all their expectations — so much so, that the commencement of the programme has been pushed back to June 15, from the earlier June 1. A total of 100 candidates are set to undergo the month-long internship. Topics to be discussed include cyber security (artificial intelligence and big data analytics) and cyber fraud.
“This is an annual exercise being conducted for the past five years. Every year, we call applications from people with law and computer backgrounds (BTech and BCA), and those with interest in cyber security. Generally, 100 applicants are selected (for the internship) and later awarded certificates,” says Hitesh Yadav, ACP Cyber Crime. “Interns get to meet cyber analysts or experts, apart from those that write security codes or work in security audits,” Yadav adds.
The number of online banking fraud-related complaints in Gurugram has spiked by nine times in the past five years (248 in 2013 to 2,095 in 2017). Yadav feels that it is too easy to get duped these days — users are wont to giving away valuable data and credentials online, and perpetrators don’t realise that it’s an offence. “There is identity theft, hacking, lotteries, cyber impersonation, Ponzi schemes, ransomware, online extortion, and data theft. We make people understand that these practices are termed as cyber crimes,” Yadav says, adding, “However, we don’t give an overview of [ongoing] investigations.”
Past interns, too, have benefited big time from the programme. “I learnt about SIM card fraud, how social media accounts and phones are unsecured, and the precautions and immediate actions to be taken for cyber bullying,” says Prachi Singh, 26, from the city, now pursuing her MTech.
Sarthak Agarwal, who has recently completed his BA LLB, says, “I learned from cyber lawyers and security experts. We were also taught ethical hacking. It has influenced my life in a way that it has made me aware of the crimes happening in the cyber world and the precautions I should take to combat them.”
We invite applications from people with law and computer backgrounds. Interns get to meet cyber analysts and experts, apart from those who code.
HITESH YADAV ACP, CYBER CRIME