5 pc rise in cybercrimes in India in 2021, charge-sheeting only in one-third cases: Govt data

India reported 52,974 cases of cybercrime in 2021, an increase of over 5 percent from 2020 (50,035 cases) and over 15 percent from 2019 (44,735 cases), according to the latest government data.

Over 70 percent of the cybercrime cases were reported from Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Assam, the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) 'Crime In India – 2021' report showed.

The average rate of cybercrime incidents (per one lakh population) was recorded at 3.9 in the country in 2021, stated the NCRB, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The charge-sheeting rate in cybercrime cases in 2021 was recorded at 33.8, the report showed, suggesting that the police probe was completed only in one-third of the cases registered across the country.

Fraud was the motive in 60.8 percent (32,230) of the cybercrime cases, followed by sexual exploitation in 8.6 percent (4,555) cases and extortion in 5.4 percent (2,883) cases, according to the report.

Among states and union territories, the highest number of cybercrime cases was reported from Telangana (10,303), followed by Uttar Pradesh (8,829), Karnataka (8,136), Maharashtra (5,562), and Assam (4,846), while Delhi lodged 356 such offenses.

The rate of cybercrime was the highest in Telangana (27) followed by Assam (13.8), Karnataka (12.1), Uttarakhand (6.3), and Maharashtra (4.5). Delhi's rate for such offenses was 1.7, according to the NCRB.

Of the cyber offenses reported across the country, 4,071 were incidents of identity theft, 11,422 of cheating by impersonation, and over 9,000 cases of publishing or transmitting obscene, sexual content.

There were also 55 cases related to tampering with computer source documents and 648 of ransomware, the report showed.

Another 1,176 cases were registered under the category of 'cyberstalking or bullying of children and women, 170 under 'data theft', and 1,624 'fraud – debit/credit card', among others, it stated.

A total of 15 cases of 'cyber terrorism' were lodged across the country in 2021, with three each in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and one each in Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, the NRCB stated.