Call centre of national cybercrime helpline inaugurated in Punjab

Chandigarh: Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Monday inaugurated a call centre of the national cybercrime helpline and inaugurated a chatbot that provides assistance on queries by victims of fraud.

To check the functioning of the helpline, the DGP made a trial call to the 1930 helpline during the inauguration and interacted with the call centre executive to understand its working.

Cyber helpline 1930 is a citizen financial cyber fraud reporting and management system of the Ministry of Home Affairs under Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which allows victims of cyber financial frauds to freeze their money in the accounts of suspects immediately after the registration of a complaint on the helpline.

In Punjab, the helpline was made operational in September 2021.

DGP Yadav said these cutting-edge innovations will enhance cybercrime reporting and ensure rapid resolution of financial frauds.

Cyber Mittar Chatbot will ensure instant information access with round-the-clock assistance and swift response which will ensure confidential reporting to protect details of citizens, he added.

People can access the chatbot by opening 'cybercrime.punjabpolice.gov.in'. It offers several benefits, including 24/7 support, allowing citizens to reach out at their convenience, rather than being limited to police station hours.

"Till date, as many as 26,625 complaints regarding various cyber frauds have been reported on 1930 helpline and National Cybercrime Reporting Portal in Punjab, acting swiftly on which, the Cybercrime Cell proactively froze or lien marked funds moved out of victims' accounts by cyber fraudsters with a success rate of 17 per cent in 2024," the DGP said.

Rs 57 crore belonging to victims have been lien marked in the bank accounts of the suspected fraudsters, he said.