Soon, Maharashtra is likely to become the first state to have a cyber police station in each of its districts. The Maharashtra home department is working on a proposal to turn each of its district cyber labs into police stations that can register complaints against any kind of cyber crime.
“With internet having reached every part of the state, we can’t expect cyber-related offences to take place only in bigger cities. Therefore, the department is working on converting the existing cyber labs in every district into police stations,” said a senior home department officer.
On August 15, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had simultaneously inaugurated 43 cyber labs across Maharashtra. These labs have the capacity to analyse mobile forensic and call detail records. The department is also working on acquiring more advanced software for these labs in collaboration with leading software companies in the world.
The state also has a proposed cyber project worth Rs800 crore that comprise three parts — Cyber labs, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and a Training Center. Once the plan is ready, the department aims at training atl east 1,000 police personnel to crack cases of cyber crime.
One of the main reasons behind investing so much in the cyber project is to improve the conviction rate in cases of cyber crime. As per the data the highest number of cyber crimes are registered in Maharashtra but the state has a shockingly dismal record of conviction. Out of the thousands of arrests made, the state has managed to convict just one, according to a senior Mumbai police officer. In the last four years, there has not been one single conviction. To make matters worse, 16 of those arrested were acquitted.
