The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Police to be equipped to tackle cyber crimes

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Thursday, Jul 02, 2009
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Police to be equipped to tackle cyber crimes

Staff Reporter

Kodiyeri inaugurates cyber police station in city

Station to deal with highly technical cases
Need to amend IT Act: Kodiyeri

Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, on Wednesday, said the government will ensure that policemen tasked with law and order duties acquired basic cyber crime investigation skills at the earliest.

Inaugurating the new Cyber Police Station at the State Crime Records Bureau here, Mr. Balakrishnan said the number of cyber crimes reported in the State had increased from 584 in 2007 to 1,882 in 2008. In 2009 till June, 1,030 computer and internet related crimes were reported.

The crimes included online job rackets and financial frauds, sending threatening messages through text messages and e-mails, theft of mobile phones, blackmail, running sex rackets under the cover of escort services advertised on the Internet, counterfeiting of currency and documents, dissemination of pornography through the Internet and anonymously using the web to defame others.

“Cyber space knows no physical boundaries. A criminal abroad can use the internet to defraud people in India. Hence, an international law must be framed to prosecute cyber criminals, irrespective of their nationality and location,” he said.

Evidence Act

The Information Technology Act should be suitably amended to make it more contemporary. He said new laws will be framed to regulate Internet cafes better.

Law Minister M. Vijayakumar said the Indian Evidence Act should be amended to tackle cyber crime.

Director-General of Police Jacob Punnoose said the cyber police station will provide expertise to policemen investigating cyber crimes. It will have the authority to register and chargesheet cases. It will work in tandem with the High Tech Enquiry Cell of the Police Department. Cyber crimes requiring sustained investigation and high technical expertise will be transferred to the cyber police station.

Additional Director-General of Police, Intelligence, Siby Mathews said the police were finding it difficult to track persons posting objectionable material on Internet facilities such as the “You Tube.” Mostly, the offenders anonymously posted such material on the web from foreign Internet Protocol addresses. With the use of computers and mobile phones becoming common, investigators should compulsorily seek the help of cyber forensic experts while collecting evidence and examining crime scenes. He said he knew at least a few cases where offenders escaped unscathed because investigators lacked a cyber forensic perspective.

Director-General of Police, Vigilance, K.P. Somarajan, Additional Director-General of Police, Crime Branch, Desmond Netto, Inspector-Generals of Police Tomin Tachankery, Sreerekha, B. Sandhya, Deputy Inspector-Generals of Police T. K. Vinod Kumar, Anil Kanth and City Police Commissioner M.R. Ajith Kumar were present.

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