Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly on Monday that over 59,000 individuals have fallen victim to online trading frauds in Odisha over the past six years.
Majhi stated in a written statement that 769 cases of online trading fraud were reported in the state between 2019 and November 2024, affecting a total of 59,437 victims.
The majority of online trading fraud incidents were recorded in 2023 and 202. In 2023, there were 190 instances of cheating involving 18,994 individuals, while 40,270 people were defrauded in 472 the following year, as reported by the chief minister in response to a from Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati. In 2023, the Odisha police Offences WingEOW filed four cases of internet trade fraud against cybercriminals who allegedly defrauded 18,804 individuals.
Furthermore, the EOW has reported three similar cases this year, in which 40,219 people were dece during online transactions, Majhi noted. The chief minister indicated that measures have been implemented to regulate online trading offences, and a dedicated cybercrime unit has been operational in Bhubaneswar since September 5, 2023, as part of the Crime Branch.
He stated that the section specializes in researching a wide range of cybercrimes, including identity theft, email and social media accounts, hacking, ATM and online banking fraud, credit card fraud, website defacement, cyber pornography, child pornography, phishing, and cyberstalking. The unit addresses the increasing complexity of cybercrime in Odisha through specialized sub-units, each focusing on a specific area of expertise, as noted by the chief minister.
Majhi mentioned that a cyber police station was established in 2004 by the State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) and was relocated to the crime branch in Cuttack in 2006, with jurisdiction covering all of it. This police station deals with high-value crimes involving fraud exceeding Rs 25 lakh Despite the lack of specific sanctioned strength, significant cases have been using CID resources, he stated.
Moreover, 11 new cyber crime police stations have been constructed, and the three existing cyber police stations (Berhampur, Rourkela, and Sambalpur) are set to be renovated in 2021., cybercrime cells operate in the offices of all superintendents of police, according to the chief minister.
Additionally, the state has established a cyber help desk, a 1930 call centre, a monitoring unit for online abuse against children and women, a cyber monitoring and coordination unit, a cyber forensic unit, a social media cell, and a cyber tracing unit to cybercrime issues, as reported by the chief minister.
