#DataViz: How India’s Cyber Crime Incidence Is Rising

The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, was set up in 2019 to help citizens in filing cyber crime complaints. Incidents reported on the portal increased from 452,000 in 2021 to 2.3 million in 2026, according to data shared by the government in the Rajya Sabha. The portal categorises cyber crime into three broad categories: Women/children-related crime, financial fraud, and other cyber crime.

Financial sector data indicate a parallel rise in online payment frauds: Frauds of Rs 1 lakh and above increased to 29,082 cases in 2023-24, involving Rs 1,457 crore, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Reports of digital arrest scams also rose, touching 123,672 incidents in 2024.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collates data from state bureaus, which reflect the number of cases registered. Between 2018 and 2023, the year for which latest data are available, cases of cyber crime more than tripled. This increasing incidence could be due to multiple factors including more reporting and easier registration, and does not necessarily reflect a simple increase.

This week, the Union government issued two notifications on mobile phones—mandating the Sanchar Saathi app to be pre-installed, and requiring SIM binding—aimed at tracking lost phones and curbing cyber crime. After widespread privacy concerns, the government made the use of the app voluntary.

A 2024 study found that psychological manipulation is central to how cyber fraudsters deceive victims. It noted that scammers commonly use tactics such as creating false trust, creating urgency or fear, making emotional appeals, imitating authority figures, and offering small incentives or quick financial gains to push people into sharing sensitive information.

Limited digital and media literacy leaves many users more vulnerable to online frauds and misinformation, IndiaSpend reported in 2023. Experts argue that media and information literacy should be part of school education to help people navigate digital risks safely.

In four charts, we track the state of cyber crime in India.

Five-fold increase in digital complaints

Cyber crime incidents reported on the NCRP increased every year from 2021 to 2024. By 2024, incident reports had climbed to 2.27 million, nearly five times the 2021 level. In 2025, up to June 30, the portal had already logged 1.25 million incidents.

Maharashtra recorded the highest volume of complaints with about 303,000 in 2024, followed by Uttar Pradesh (301,000), Karnataka (169,000), Gujarat (168,000) and Delhi (153,000).

Rise in registered cyber crimes

While India reported fewer than 10,000 cyber offences annually before 2014, the trend shifted in 2017, when cases rose 77% over 2016, NCRB data show. Since 2018, as we said, cases registered more than tripled to 86,420 in 2023.

RBI Reports an Increase in Digital Payment Frauds

Frauds involving card, internet and other digital payments of Rs 1 lakh and above increased 11 times and the money involved rose 12 times since 2020-21, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India.

"If an online fraud takes place, the first step should be to register a complaint on the cyber portal immediately. This needs to be done as soon as the fraud occurs,” Vaibhav Salunkhe, a Pune-based cyber law expert, told IndiaSpend, “After that, the victim should inform the concerned bank, and if a third-party payment app is involved, a complaint must be filed there as well."

The sooner the victim reports the fraud, the better the chances of blocking the transaction, he said. Salunkhe has 20 years of experience in practicing cyber law and dealing with economic offences.

However, recoveries did not keep pace. The NCRP portal shows that since its inception, Indians reported 3.8 million cyber fraud incidents with a total reported loss of Rs 36,448 crore as of February 28, 2025. Of this, Rs 4,381 crore was placed under lien, but only Rs 60.52 crore had been returned to affected users.

Salunkhe points to a shortage of personnel trained to deal with cyber or digital fraud matters, both in the police and in the judiciary. “As the number of such cases continues to rise, there is a need for more specialised staff with the skills required to handle these investigations effectively,” he added.

Digital arrest fraud rising

Another type of scam being perpetrated in recent times is called the ‘digital arrest’ scam, where fraudsters posing as law enforcement officers “arrest” or “detain” unsuspecting people, strictly monitoring their movements on video—sometimes for days on end. This usually ends with the fraudsters asking for “bail money” or “penalty”, which in many cases is people’s entire life savings.

Digital arrest scams saw the fastest increase among all categories on the NCRP. Incidents rose from 39,925 in 2022 to 123,672 in 2024. Reported losses grew from about Rs 91 crore in 2022 to Rs 1,935 crore in 2024.

Cyber law specialist Jayesh Bhandekar said digital arrest scams also exploit gaps in legal awareness. “It is important to understand that there is no concept of a ‘digital arrest’ in Indian law,” Bhandekar, partner at Cyber Experts S&B Associates, Pune, told IndiaSpend. “Every arrest requires a warrant, and in most cases it is executed in person. If authorities need to arrest someone, there is a due legal process that must be followed.”

In March this year, the government told the Rajya Sabha that the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System under the I4C portal, launched in 2021, has helped save over Rs 4,386 crore from 1.4 million complaints. It also said the 1930 helpline is operational for quick reporting of online frauds and that nationwide awareness campaigns on digital arrest scams have been launched.

A study related to digital arrest scams found that police and cyber cells face key operational challenges, including limited technical training, inadequate cyber-forensic infrastructure and delayed response times. It also highlighted a wider gap in digital literacy, noting that many people, especially in rural or less digitally aware regions, lack basic online fraud-prevention knowledge, making them more vulnerable to such scams.

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