Hands-on training to AP police officers to probe cyber crimes

The number of cyber crime cases has seen a rise in Andhra Pradesh for the third year in a row even as the state police gears up to complete training of its Inspectors and DSPs level officers to investigate such offences, by the end of 2013.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of AP Police, has drafted plans to impart week-long hands-on training to all Inspectors and DSP level officers on various aspects of investigations of cyber crimes, a senior police official, who is supervising cases of cyber offences, said.

The training process will be completed by the end of this year. All these police officers have initially undergone awareness programmes on cyber crimes through Andhra Pradesh Police Academy, he said. A 'Cyber Lab' established in CID has already imparted required technical skills of investigation of cyber offences to over 100 police officers. Already proposals have been sent to establish two more Cyber Labs in Hyderabad and Cyberabad Commissionerates with the support of MHA, he said.  Apart from imparting training to police officers and Investigating Officers dealing with cyber crime cases, the Cyber Labs have also been imparting training to judiciary and finance sector personnel.  The cyber crimes cases registered till December 2012 rose to close to 500 in Andhra Pradesh which is up from 380 cases recorded in 2011 while as many as 197 such cases were reported in 2010. The number of cyber crime cases registered at cyber crime police station of CID increased to 99 cases (till November 2012) when compared to 77 cases booked in 2011. Majority of the cases were related to on-line cheating, cases of phishing, ATM, Debit/Credit card frauds, cases pertaining to gender offences (harassment of women/ girls) on social networking sites is also rampant, the senior police officer explained.

Incidence of cyber offences are increasing and as a result more number of complainants/victims are reporting such matters to police, the senior official said, adding they have already arrested cyber offenders in over 300 cases including Nigerian nationals and other accused from different states during last year.

Another trend that has seen a sharp rise in cyber offences cases pertains to shoulder browsing, he said and stressed on the need for banks to take proper precautions for safeguarding the interests of their customers.

The accused in these cases are misusing ATM cards of customers and are indulging in online shopping, the senior police officer added.

Apart from the cyber crime police station of CID, there are one each exclusive cyber crime police stations functioning in Hyderabad and Cyberabad Commissionerates and plans are afoot to set up new cyber police stations at Vishakhapatnam city and Tirupati besides Vijaywada and Warangal.