Delhi emerges as cybercrime hotspot, residents lose over Rs 1,450 cr in 11 Years

New Delhi: The national capital has seen a sharp rise in cybercrime incidents over the last decade, with residents losing more than Rs 1,450 crore to online fraud between 2014 and mid-2025, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, citing inputs from Delhi Police, revealed that the number of cyber financial fraud cases in the city has multiplied nearly eightfold in this period. In 2014, 226 such cases were recorded, involving losses of Rs 2.63 crore.

By 2024, the number rose to 1,591 cases, with financial losses skyrocketing to over Rs 817 crore. In the first half of 2025 alone (till 30 June), 184 cases have already cost victims more than Rs 70 crore. In the same duration, 11,712 cyber financial fraud cases have been registered by the Delhi Police.

While the NCRB’s Crime in India 2022 report ranks Delhi’s cybercrime rate at 3.2 cases per lakh population, far below that of states like Telangana and Karnataka, the financial impact per case in Delhi remains disproportionately high. Experts attribute this to the city’s high digital penetration, widespread use of online banking and UPI transactions, and a concentration of high-value targets.

Despite multiple measures, structural gaps persist in tackling cyber threats, particularly those targeting women. Rai said the Centre has strengthened the response mechanism through initiatives like the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System.

The government has also set up the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory and launched the CyTrain MOOC platform for law enforcement training.

Under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme, financial assistance is being provided to states and UTs for cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories, hiring junior cyber consultants, and training police, prosecutors, and judicial officers. Delhi has commissioned cyber labs and set up a dedicated Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit.

Since 2022, each of the city’s 15 districts has had a cyber police station, alongside help desks in all police stations to assist women victims.

IANS