Cyber cell complaint portal is an initiative of the Government of India to facilitate victims/complainants to report cybercrime complaints online. This online cyber crime complaint portal caters to complaints pertaining to cyber crimes only, with a special focus on cyber crimes against women and children. Crime online complaints reported on this portal are dealt with by law enforcement agencies/ police based on the information available in the complaints. It is imperative to provide correct and accurate details while filing a complaint for prompt action.
As per the cyber law in India, the following types of cybercrime online complaints have been identified:
Hacking: This is the most common type of cybercrime in the country. Hacking is when an unauthorized person breaks into another person’s computer to gain access to his personal and sensitive information. With everything becoming digitalized, the chances of hacking have increased as well.
Cyber Bullying: When a person uses the internet or any social media network in order to harass or defame a person.
Cyber Stalking: Next to hacking, cyberstalking is also an increasing cybercrime. It is the crime of online harassment, with the majority of the cases reported against women.
Online Theft: It is when the person extorts money from the victims and gains access to their sensitive information fraudulently.
Child Soliciting: When a child is approached online for the purpose of making online child pornography.
More than 3,500 people were arrested in over 14,000 cyber cell complaints online in 2021. More than 3,500 people were arrested in over 14,000 cyber cell complaints online in 2021. People reported 1500 cybercrime incidents every day on an average of which only around 30 are converted into FIRs. Those who use the Internet, email, social media, and vulnerable computers will be the likely victims. Financially-motivated cybercrimes will likely be the preferred choice for criminals due to the ease of getting money, sourcing of victims, and its difficulty in detection and apprehension.
The increase in internet usage over the last decade has resulted in increasing cyber cell complaints in India and cases of online cheating. It can be quite confusing for a cybercrime victim to understand the steps to register a cyber cell complaint FIR. In the face of adversity, it is essential to know how to file a cyber crime complaint in India. And this blog shall serve this purpose.
Women and children have been found to be most gullible in the online world, with cyber cell crimes against women and children witnessing a sharp rise over the last couple of years. Women are often subjected to cyber crimes such as cyber harassment, online stalking, cyber pornography, cyber defamation, matrimonial fraud, and much more. Children are also soft targets for cybercriminals, as most teenagers and adolescents manage their online presence without adult guidance. It is hard to get over the spate of deaths of innocent teenagers resulting from the online suicidal game – Blue Whale. In this case, it is important to file cyber cell complaint.
How to report a cyber crime?
- Offline filing of the Ciber cell complaint: The first and most important step in offline mode is to register a written Ciber cell complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell of any jurisdiction after filing a complaint against the crime. The cyber cell complaint will be required to include their name, phone number, and address in the written complaint. After that, the person filing the complaint must address the written complaint to the head of the city’s cyber crime cell. Further, the cyber cell complaint can register an FIR at the nearest police station if they do not have access to any of the existing cyber cells in India.
The informant can also go to the Commissioner or the Judicial Magistrate if the cyber complaint is not accepted by the police. As discussed above, some cybercrime offenses fall under the purview of the IPC; therefore, an individual can file an FIR regarding cybercrime at the closest local police station. Regardless of the jurisdiction in which the offense was committed, the police officer is required by Section 154 of the CrPC to record the information provided regarding an offense.
- Online filing of the Ciber cell complaint: The government’s online platform handles Ciber cell complaints about child sexual abuse material, child pornography, sexually explicit content like rape or gang rape, social media crimes, online cyber trafficking, financial fraud, hacking, ransomware, and cryptocurrency crimes. The complainant can anonymously report or file a cyber cell complaint in online mode. The procedures for filing a cyber cell complaint online are as follows:
Step 1: Visit the official website of the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal by clicking on their website.
Step 2: Now, from the options available on the homepage of the website, click on the tab that says, ‘Report Other Cyber Crimes.’
Step 3: Now click on the option saying ‘File a Complaint,’ declaring that you want to file a cyber complaint.
Step 4: Now, the informant or the complainant needs to read the terms and conditions before filing an actual complaint; and if they accept the terms then click on ‘I Accept.’
Step 5: Now, the informant or the complainant needs to log in with their credentials or register as a new user with the help of their mobile number along with other personal details.
Step 6: Then, the informant or the complainant needs to fill in all the required and relevant details regarding the offense committed. This section is divided into four parts, preview the information filled in and then submit it. Then the user will then be directed to an incident details page. After mentioning the details and supporting evidence of the crime, click on ‘Save and Next.’
Step 7: The next page requires information about the alleged suspect if the applicant has any.
Step 8: Once the informant or the complainant has filled in all details, they need to verify it and click ‘submit.’
Step 9: After submitting the complaint, the informant or the complainant can also track the progress of their complaint on the website by clicking on ‘Track your complaint’ on the homepage.
In addition to the cybercrimes that have targeted Indian consumers, businesses, and government agencies, there are various other types of “insider” cybercrimes that have been reported in the country as well. Factors including the country’s increasing digitization, its position as a global outsourcing hub make India a continuous cybercrime target. This has led to Indian consumers and agencies becoming a victim of high-profile international crimes. However, it should not be forgotten that India also generates a number of cybercrimes that affect Internet users all over the world.
