Kolkata: Kolkata Police on Tuesday introduced a 24×7 cyber helpline at Lalbazar to assist citizens who have fallen victim to cybercrime.
Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Supratim Sarkar, inaugurated the dedicated facility, which will receive calls from people targeted by cyber fraudsters.
After the inauguration, Sarkar said: “Considering that many citizens of Kolkata have already been duped by cyber fraudsters, we felt that digital security is as essential as physical security in the outdoors. Keeping this in mind, the Cyber Crime branch has introduced a special helpline named ‘Digital Prahari’. The toll-free number of the helpline is 1800-345-0066.”
He added: “In cybercrime, time is our greatest enemy. As cyber fraudsters operate around the clock, it is necessary for us to remain active within the same time frame. There is also the concept of a ‘golden hour’ in cybercrime, as once a person is duped, the money is transferred very quickly through mule accounts.”
Sarkar further stated: “Here, any person can call and seek help. We will also assist them to lodge complaints with the national Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) on 1930. Our request is to the citizens that if any person feels that they have been duped, they should immediately call on the helpline. We will try our best to return the defrauded amount to the citizens.”
Apart from inaugurating the cyber help line, CP also published a monthly newsletter “cyber-pass” where precautions that need to be taken will be mentioned. Also, common people will be informed about the new trend of cyber crimes as well. Apart from this, the Kolkata Police has also taken another initiative to construct ramps at all the police stations for the differently-abled people. At present, out of 80 Police Stations, ramps are available at 25 locations. Installation of ramps at 35 police stations have been completed, and construction work in progress in 20 police stations, which will be completed soon.
It may be mentioned that after joining as the CP, Kolkata, Sarkar had visited several parts of the city to take stock of the traffic situation in the city.
A few days ago, the Commissioner of Police conducted surprise checks at two police stations to assess the behaviour of duty officers. About a week after taking charge, Sarkar visited Ballygunge Police Station in plain clothes on Saturday night to report a missing mobile phone, but was recognised by a policeman, triggering alertness.
He then went to Survey Park Police Station, where he had a similar experience, before returning as his cover was blown and police stations went on high alert.