New Delhi: In 2024, citizens suffered losses exceeding Rs 22,845.73 crore due to cyber criminals, marking an alarming rise of nearly 206 percent compared to the previous year, as reported to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In response to a written inquiry, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, stated that the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), managed by the ministry’s I4C, indicated that the “total losses experienced by citizens from cyber frauds across the nation” in 2024 amounted to Rs 22,845.73 crore, in contrast to Rs 7,465.18 crore the year before.

Kumar noted that there were 36,37,288 reports of financial frauds perpetrated by cyber criminals on NCRP and CFCFRMS in 2024, compared to 24,42,978 incidents reported in the previous year.

The data provided by the minister revealed that 10,29,026 cyber crimes were recorded on NCRP in 2022, reflecting a 127.44 percent increase from the prior year, while 15,96,493 incidents were documented in 2023, showing a 55.15 percent rise, and 22,68,346 cases were reported in 2024, indicating a 42.08 percent increase.

He explained that the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), established under I4C in 2021, was designed for the prompt reporting of financial frauds and to prevent fraudsters from misappropriating funds.

According to the minister, CFCFRMS has helped save over Rs 5,489 crore from more than 17.82 lakh complaints submitted to it thus far.

“The incidents of cyber crime reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, their transformation into FIRs, and the ensuing actions, such as the filing of chargesheets, arrests, and resolution of complaints, are managed by the relevant state/UT law enforcement agencies in accordance with legal provisions,” Kumar stated.

The minister provided details regarding the government’s actions against cyber criminals, stating that to date, over 9.42 lakh SIM cards and 2,63,348 IMEIs, as reported by police authorities, have been blocked by the Centre.

On September 10, 2024, I4C, in partnership with banks and financial institutions, launched a Suspect Registry for identifying cyber criminals. Thus far, more than 11 lakh suspect identifier data has been received from banks, and 24 lakh Layer 1 mule accounts have been shared with the entities involved in the Suspect Registry, resulting in savings of over Rs.4631 crore, he noted.

The minister also announced the introduction of the ‘Pratibimb’ module, which visualizes the locations of criminals and crime infrastructure on a map, enhancing visibility for jurisdictional officers.

“This module also enables law enforcement agencies to seek and receive techno-legal assistance from I4C and other SMEs. It has resulted in the arrest of 10,599 suspects, 26,096 linkages, and 63,019 requests for cyber investigation assistance,” Kumar stated.