MPs flag concerns over cyber frauds as probe agencies brief Parl panel

New Delhi: Lawmakers from different parties on Thursday were united in raising concern over cybercrime incidents, especially financial fraud targeting gullible people, as the CBI director, NIA DG and senior officials from different ministries appeared before a parliamentary committee.

Sources said some Opposition MPs flagged the alleged low conviction in such cases and also raised the issue of businessmen accused of defrauding banks of thousands of crores of rupees continuing to escape Indian agencies’ attempts to bring them back from their foreign refuge to face justice.

The Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, held almost day-long meetings on Wednesday and Thursday over “Cyber Crime - Ramifications, Protection and Prevention”.

Department of Financial Services, representatives of banks, Department of Telecommunications, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, External Affairs, Corporate Affairs and Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND), besides federal probe agencies, appeared before the panel.

“Members from across party lines were united in expressing seriousness over the issue. While probe agencies highlighted their action, several suggestions were made by MPs,” a member said.

Some MPs highlighted the spurt in incidents of cyber frauds, especially digital arrests.

The government had told Parliament in March this year that the number of digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes in the country almost tripled between 2022 and 2024, with defrauded amounts skyrocketing by 21 times during the period.

Another point that was flagged in the meeting was the trafficking of unsuspecting Indians looking for employment to the Southeast Asian countries, where they are forced to work for cybercrime syndicates.

Some MPs called for better coordination among probe agencies, noting that a large number of them deal with cyber crimes, ranging from gathering intelligence to investigating cases.

Another MP, sources said, cited a recent RTI reply that said against over 2,000 criminal cases registered by cyber police stations in Mumbai in four years, there were only two convictions during the period.

A probe agency said they have frozen lakhs of mule accounts, used to receive and launder funds swindled from victims of these crimes, and have been stepping up their efforts to boost cooperation with other countries, as these criminal enterprises often have roots outside India.

Some MPs called for efforts to boost awareness, and a member flagged issues with the helpline number 1930, which was launched to report cyber financial fraud.