What Happened
- The Union Home Minister delivered the keynote address at the National Conference on "Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds and Dismantling the Ecosystem" in New Delhi
- A new CBI Cybercrime Branch was inaugurated alongside the launch of the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) dashboard by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
- Key statistics were cited: authorities have safeguarded Rs 8,189 crore from an estimated Rs 20,000 crore in fraudulent activity; over 8.2 million cybercrime complaints registered through the I4C portal
- The conference emphasised integrated agency coordination among I4C, CBI, NIA, Enforcement Directorate, state police, RBI, MeitY, and the Department of Telecommunications
- The Mule Account Hunter software has been deployed across the banking sector and 795 institutions (banks, fintech firms, NBFCs, e-commerce platforms) are connected to the I4C framework
Static Topic Bridges
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
The I4C was established by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as a centralised framework to deal with cybercrime in a coordinated manner across India. It became an Attached Office of MHA with effect from 1 July 2024. I4C operates under a seven-pronged scheme approved by the government.
- Seven components: National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit, National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in), Joint Cybercrime Investigation Facilitation Centre, National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem, National Cybercrime Training Centre (CyTrain), Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit, and National Cyber Research and Innovation Centre
- The 1930 helpline is the national cybercrime reporting number for financial frauds
- Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), launched in 2021, has saved over Rs 7,130 crore in more than 23 lakh complaints (as of October 2025)
- I4C was brought under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, enabling information sharing with the Enforcement Directorate
- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 17 January 2025 between I4C/MHA and the US Department of Homeland Security for cooperation in cybercrime investigations
Connection to this news: The launch of the S4C dashboard represents an extension of the I4C framework to the state level, strengthening the centre-state coordination mechanism for cybercrime investigation.
Information Technology Act, 2000 — Cybercrime Provisions
The IT Act, 2000, as amended by the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, is the primary legislation governing cybercrime in India. It defines offences, prescribes penalties, and establishes the institutional framework for cyber regulation.
- Section 43: Penalty for damage to computer systems — compensation up to Rs 5 crore (civil liability)
- Section 65: Tampering with computer source documents — imprisonment up to 3 years
- Section 66: Computer-related offences (hacking) — imprisonment up to 3 years and/or fine up to Rs 5 lakh
- Section 66C: Identity theft — imprisonment up to 3 years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh
- Section 66D: Cheating by personation using computer resources — imprisonment up to 3 years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh
- Section 66F: Cyber terrorism — imprisonment which may extend to life imprisonment
- Section 69: Power to issue directions for interception, monitoring, or decryption of any information
- Section 79: Safe harbour for intermediaries (conditional on compliance with due diligence requirements)
- CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team): Established under Section 70B as the national agency for cybersecurity incident response
Connection to this news: The cybercrime complaints registered through the I4C portal are investigated under these IT Act provisions, and the emphasis on integrated agency coordination reflects the cross-cutting nature of cyber offences that span financial fraud, identity theft, and terrorism.
Digital Payment Security and UPI Ecosystem
India's digital payments ecosystem, anchored by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), has become the world's largest real-time digital payment system. The rapid growth has also created vulnerabilities exploited by cybercriminals.
- UPI processed over 181 billion transactions worth Rs 233+ trillion in 2024
- UPI is managed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), set up in 2008 under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
- RBI's Digital Payment Index (DPI) tracks payment digitalisation across the country
- Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity enabled financial inclusion: 570 million+ Jan Dhan accounts, 39.81 crore RuPay debit cards issued
- Common fraud vectors: SIM swap fraud, phishing via fake UPI apps, QR code manipulation, mule accounts (bank accounts used to launder proceeds of cyber fraud)
- RBI mandates two-factor authentication for digital transactions; additional factor of authentication (AFA) is mandatory for online card transactions
Connection to this news: The deployment of Mule Account Hunter software across banks and the onboarding of 795 financial institutions to the I4C framework are direct responses to the growing vulnerability of the digital payment ecosystem to cyber fraud.
Key Facts & Data
- Internet users in India: Grew from 250 million to over 1 billion in 11 years
- UPI transactions (2024): 181 billion+ transactions valued at Rs 233+ trillion
- Cybercrime complaints registered via I4C portal: 8.2 million (January 2020 to November 2025)
- Financial fraud amount safeguarded: Rs 8,189 crore out of estimated Rs 20,000 crore
- Suspicious SIM cards cancelled: Over 12 lakh; mobile devices with blocked IMEI: over 3 lakh
- Cybercrime-related arrests: 20,853 accused
- Institutions connected to I4C: 795 (banks, fintech, NBFCs, e-commerce); target: all banking/financial institutions by December 2026
- BharatNet village panchayat connectivity: Increased from 546 to over 200,000