Cyber crime: The global battle

India

Is there a central body to co-ordinate national reporting and investigations of cyber crime?
Cyber crimes are reported to specialised units within local police stations but the Central Bureau of Investigation helps to co-ordinate response and expertise among local forces. The business-backed Cyber Labs scheme provides training for local forces.

The global battle against e-crime

1. USA

2. India

3. Australia

4. UK

Cyber policing infrastructure
All major cities have cyber crime police units to deal with crimes involving technology. This includes cities with a high level of IT and business process outsourcing such as Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Larger states have similar units inside the Criminal Investigation Department.

Staffing in city units reflects cyber crime reporting levels, for example Karnataka has a superintendent, with four deputy superintendents and a few technical personnel and support staff, whereas others have less manpower.

4,500 officers have received basic training in tackling cyber crime from the Cyber Labs initiative, backed by Indian IT association Nasscom.

How long has India had a cyber crime police unit?
The first city cyber crime unit was set up in 1999 by Karnataka, with more following after the IT Act came into force in 2000.

Resources/expertise
Larger units have disk and network forensic equipment and log analysis tools.

Smaller units rely on evidence made available by service providers and expertise from within the IT industry to investigate.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Thiruvananthapuram has developed its own forensic tools, which are being used by other organisations.

Generally there is not enough funding for these units, as is the case across India.

The type of cyber crime dealt with
The majority of cases dealt with by the units are insider frauds within companies, 'Nigerian' money scams and cyber stalking.

Partnerships with business
The Indian IT industry provides training through the Cyber Labs initiative set up by Nasscom in Mumbai in March 2004. It provides equipment, software and a one-week training course for officers with no previous experience of dealing with computer-related investigations.

Labs are now in place in Bangalore, Pune and Thane.

Having trained about 4,500 police officers they have now also started training prosecutors. There are moves for police to introduce this training internally.

Nasscom wants set up a centre of excellence in dealing with cyber forensics and financial frauds in partnership with other business sectors and police forces.