Lack of state consent affecting interstate probes, says CBI chief
New Delhi: The CBI Director, Rishi Kumar Shukla, on Wednesday, noted that the agency is often unable to fulfill its mandate to investigate interstate crimes in the absence of consent from state authorities.
Shukla's remarks came as he inaugurated a National Conference on Cyber Crime Investigation and Cyber Forensics, which will be held at the CBI headquarters here on Wednesday and Thursday.
The CBI chief made this statement in the context of the complex nature of cybercrimes and the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals. He said that such crimes are speedily becoming truly borderless and without states' consent the CBI is not able to fully accomplish its mandate to investigate such crimes. According to the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, as per which the Central Bureau of Investigation operates, the central agency's hand are tied when it comes to crimes in state jurisdiction, without the state government's consent. Shukla also said that cybercrimes posed unique challenges to law enforcement officers as they are complex and require certain skills and forensic skills for detection. "Evidence is essentially volatile and digital evidence is located abroad. These crimes are truly borderless and, therefore, theories of traditional jurisdiction come under challenge while investigations are in progress," the CBI chief said.
Officials here said that this is an effort by the central probe agency to create a platform, where law enforcement agencies from across the country can come together and share ideas and solutions to challenges faced while investigating cases of cybercrime.
Around 50 officers from state law enforcement agencies, lawyers, forensic experts and field experts will be at the conference. Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology were also present.
The CBI Director said, "What is urgently needed are efforts to create capacity building and creation of a pool of competent investigators, digital forensic analysts, prosecutors and judicial officers who are digitally aware."
