AHMEDABAD: According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Gujarat reported an almost 50% rise in crimes under the Information Technology Act, 2000. Compared to 35 cases in 2010, the number shot up to 52, of which 36 were in Ahmedabad alone.
With the ever-expanding web of new-age cyber crimes, the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), an initiative by Nasscom, has decided to help state police forces by setting up cyber labs in every state in the country. Today eight such labs are functioning in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Gujarat will soon have one such lab, said DSCI officials during a cyber crime awareness workshop organised by DSCI and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology in collaboration with Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) at Gandhinagar on July 20 and 21.
Speaking about the initiative, K Venkatesh Murthy, program manager, cyber cell, DSCI, told that such cells differ from crime investigating teams. They not only keep the men in khaki updated about the latest trends and investigation tools, but also train them on a regular basis.
"Since 2004, nearly 20,000 policemen from various centres have been trained under the initiative. Initially these were limited to major cities such as Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore which were hubs of the IT and ITeS industry. However, in the last few years, cyber crime has spread its tentacles all around we found it logical to become the backbone of the police investigation system," said Murthy.
DSCI officials said police personnel and officers will be trained in the basics of computer hardware, tracking emails and mobile phones, computer forensics and cyber laws. "Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the initiative has been submitted to the central government. In the next phase, we will collaborate with state governments and police departments for its implementation. Where such a setup exists, we can help them upgrade or set up an alternative centre. These centres will have project managers and instructors who are well-acquainted with technology," said a senior DSCI official.
At the moment, Directorate of Forensic Sciences (DFS), Gandhinagar, has computer forensic facilities whereas while Ahmedabad crime branch is gearing up for a new cyber crime department.