Cyber crime up by 77 pc in 2017, 56 pc cases motivated by fraud: NCRB data

As many as 21,796 cases of cybercrime were reported across the country in 2017, showing a 77 percent hike from 2016, according to the latest data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 56 percent of the cases, fraud was the major motive behind the offense, while 6.7 percent of the cases pertained to sexual exploitation, even as there were cases related to terror activities and inciting hate against the country, the statistics revealed.

There were 12,317 FIRs lodged in 2016 in cases of online offenses, while 11,592 were lodged in 2015, stated the government data, released after a delay of more than one year. At 22.8 percent, Uttar Pradesh recorded the maximum cybercrime cases in the country followed by Maharashtra (16.5) and Karnataka (14.6), as the three states together accounted for 54 percent of online offenses in the country, it stated.

"During 2017, 56 percent of cybercrime cases registered were for the motive of fraud (12,213 of 21,796 cases), followed by 1,460 cases of sexual exploitation (6.7 percent) and 1,002 cases of causing disrepute (4.6 percent)," the NCRB said. Extortion was the motive in 906 cases of cybercrime followed by cyber stalking women/bullying children (542), anger (714), personal revenge (608), prank (314), inciting hate against the country (206), political motives (139), terrorist activities (110), data theft (307), it added.

Uttar Pradesh registered 4,971 cases in 2017, up from 2,639 in 2016 and 2,208 in 2015. Maharashtra had 3,604 cases in 2017, up from 2,195 in 2015 and 2,380 in 2016, while Karnataka stood third in the tally with 3,174 cases in 2017, 1,101 in 2016 and 1,447 in 2015, it stated.

Delhi, however, reported a low of 0.7 percentage of share in cyber crimes in 2017, reporting only 162 cases, while it had lodged 98 FIRs in 2016 and 177 in 2015, the data said. The NCRB, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and special and local laws in the country.