India must move from reactive probe to predictive fraud prevention
New Delhi: Strengthening India’s fraud prevention framework requires a comprehensive and multi-layered strategy combining legal reforms, technology adoption, early warning systems and greater public awareness, Garima Bhatnagar, Special CP, Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police, said on Friday at a FICCI conference on “Forensics of Fraud Investigation.”
She stressed the need to move from a reactive investigation model to predictive prevention by using integrated intelligence, advanced technologies, robust red-flag mechanisms, stronger institutional coordination and faster asset recovery systems. Bhatnagar said governments across the country are reinforcing enforcement capabilities by strengthening Economic Offences Wings in states, expanding cybercrime units and tightening regulatory frameworks. These measures include stricter anti-money laundering (AML) norms, digital KYC requirements, improved transaction monitoring and deeper international cooperation to combat financial crimes more effectively.
Dr Jaspal Singh, former Director General of Police, Goa, and Chair Professor at the Department of Behavioral Forensics, National Forensic Science University under the Ministry of Home Affairs, highlighted the need to expand and train skilled manpower across forensic science disciplines. He proposed setting up a Forensic Council of India, on the lines of the Arbitration Council of India, to institutionalize and strengthen the role of forensic science in the justice system.
Manoj Kumar Meena, Director (NCTAU/Data Analytics) at the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, warned about the growing threat posed by cybercrime. He noted that cybercriminal networks are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence, significantly raising the scale and sophistication of fraud.
According to Meena, AI-generated phishing messages and fraudulent emails are estimated to be up to four times more effective while requiring much less effort to produce, making such attacks easier to scale and execute.
Sanjay Kaushik, member of the FICCI Corporate Security and Disaster Risk Reduction Committee and managing director of Netrika Consulting India Pvt Ltd, stressed the importance of close coordination among corporates, law enforcement agencies, regulators, forensic professionals and technology experts to effectively tackle forensic fraud.
The conference brought together regulators, law enforcement officials, industry leaders, forensic experts and technology specialists to discuss emerging fraud patterns, digital evidence management and collaborative approaches to strengthen fraud detection and investigation in India.
