Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala government on Wednesday opened its first state-of-the-art cyber-crime police station to bring to book those committing such offences.

Inaugurating the station here, State Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said, "Cyber police stations having modern equipment and trained officers were necessary to conduct investigations into cases related to cyber crimes."

Easy access of Internet has help the criminal elements, who use the facility for running online sex rackets, issuing e-mail threats, indulging in monetary fraud and character assassination, in the state.

Crimes using mobile phones were also on the rise.

"This will mislead the new generation, thereby bringing in value erosion in society," Balakrishnan said adding this challenge should be met by thorough probe into such cases.

The state police had some top officials who were trained to investigate cyber cases, he added.

Without the co-ordination of all states, investigation into cyber crimes would not be fruitful. In some cases international help could also be sought, the minister said.

The state government would also conduct awareness programmes to prevent people from falling into traps set by cyber criminals.

Recommending suitable amendments into the existing IT Act, he said, more regulations should be there on cyber cafes.

Functioning of the high-tech crime enquiry cell of the Kerala Home department would be made more effective by bringing all district cyber cells under its umbrella, Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The cyber cells in the state had registered 1,882 complaints in 2008 and 1,030 complaints till June this year.

Kerala was the first state in the country where two persons were convicted in a cyber crime case, the minister reminded.

A pastor and his son was sentenced to seven years in jail for posting morphed pictures of a girl on the internet at Pathanamthitta a few years back.

A DySP of police along with two Circle Inspectors and 11 constables, all trained at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) here to handle cases of cyber crimes, would be on duty at the police station inaugurated on Wednesday.

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