Only 10 cyber cafés have licence in Pune

Only 10 cyber cafés out of the 88 in the city have renewed their licences this year. Consequently, the city police commissonerate has sent notices to violators to renew their licences and warned them of face stringent action in the near future.

As per police records, the city police have issued licences to 88 cyber café owners and they are bound to renew their licences every year. However, only 10 cyber cafes have renewed their licences.

Following which, the police top brass has ordered all senior inspectors to send notices to the violators. They have also been asked to take stringent action against them.

After the arrest of Himayat Baig, who allegedly co-ordinated terror activities from a cyber café in Udgir, the city police had started closing down illegal cyber cafes in Pune. As many as 100 cyber cafes were told to meet requirements for getting the licences. 

The police said that because of Deep Freeze, a software used to get rid of unwanted data, the data related to misuse of computer or Internet vanishes once the computer is shut down, making it difficult for them to trace such activities.

Assistant commissioner of police (administration) Vasant Sonawane said, “Police stations have been asked to take action against unauthorised cafés,” he said.

A police officer said, “Stringent action should have been taken against illegal cyber cafes, as the German Bakery blast conspiracy was hatched at a cyber cafe in Udgir. Hence,  immediate action should be taken against them,’’ he said.