Over the past six years, more than 59,000 persons in Odisha have fallen victim to internet trading frauds, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the Assembly on Monday. Majhi said in a written statement that 769 cases of online trading fraud were reported in the state between 2019 and November 2024, with 59,437 people becoming victims.
The majority of the online trading fraud incidents were recorded in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, 190 incidences of cheating involved 18,994 persons, while 40,270 people were duped in 472 cases the following year, according to the chief minister in response to a query from Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati. In 2023, the Odisha police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed four cases of internet trade fraud against cyber criminals who allegedly defrauded 18,804 persons, he stated.
Similarly, the EOW has reported three similar cases this year, in which 40,219 people were duped during online transactions, Majhi stated. The chief minister stated that actions have been taken to regulate online trading offenses, and that a dedicated cybercrime unit has been operational in Bhubaneswar since September 5, 2023, as part of the Crime Branch.
He stated that the section specializes in researching a wide range of cyber crimes such as identity theft, false email and social media accounts, hacking, ATM and online banking fraud, credit card fraud, website defacement, cyber pornography, child pornography, phishing, and cyberstalking. The unit handles the growing complexity of cybercrime in Odisha through specialized sub-units, each with a concentration on a certain area of expertise, according to the chief minister.
Majhi stated that a cyber police station was established in 2004 by the State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) and was relocated to the crime branch in Cuttack in 2006, with jurisdiction throughout Odisha. The police station handles high-value crimes involving frauds that surpass Rs 25 lakh. Despite the absence of specific sanctioned strength, key cases have been examined using CID resources, he stated.
Additionally, 11 new cyber crime police stations have been built, and the three existing cyber PS (Berhampur, Rourkela, and Sambalpur) will be renovated in 2021. Furthermore, cybercrime cells operate in the offices of all superintendents of police, according to the CM.
In addition, the state has a cyber help desk, a 1930 call center, a children and women's online abuse monitoring unit, a cyber monitoring and coordination unit, a cyber forensic unit, a social media cell, and a cyber tracing unit to handle cybercrime issues, according to the chief minister.
