Slowly but surely, cyberstalking cases are being cracked

From January to April, cyberpolice have detected just over 45 per cent of cyberstalking cases. According to data, of the 148 cases registered, police detected 67 cases, leading to the arrest of 56 people. Cyberpolice book the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for stalking.

The data procured from the state cybercell reveals a 45 per cent detection rate for cyberstalking incidents in this period, which includes cyberbullying of women and children. In 2018, cyberpolice had detected 285 cases of the 451 incidents reported, leading to 304 arrests.

A senior cyberofficer said, “Technology evolution and innovation makes it harder to detect cybercrimes. To prevent cyberfrauds on a large scale, we need more stringent laws. At this point, most worrying are cybercrimes against children and women, which account for about 30 per cent and are

showing a 100 per cent rise every year.”

Besides cyberstalking, there are other cybercrimes like phishing, online fraud and cheating, email abuse, hacking and copyright infringements. Over the years,many technological advances like anti-viruses and security measures have been advised and applied, but that still does not ensure complete safety, said an official.

Considering the alarming

rise in the number of cybercrimes against women and children, which mainly includes cyberstalking, the Maharashtra cybercell has set up a special team, which will ensure effective reporting, detection, and prevention of such crimes. The team comes under the aegis of the Cybercrime Prevention Against Women and Children Scheme, a central government initiative, for which Rs 4 crore has been sanctioned for each state.