PANAJI
International cyber frauds have become a daunting challenge for Goa Police. Investigations often trace crimes to Southeast Asia, including Taiwan and China, where illicit funds are funnelled through Hawala networks or cryptocurrency exchanges.
The Cyber Crime Cell, which zeroed in on IP addresses from these countries, stated that in cases involving foreign nationals, the process relies heavily on extradition treaties between countries.
“Our country has an extradition treaty with several nations and necessary action can be taken if an extradition treaty exists between the countries involved. Most cyber crimes have been linked to countries in Southeast Asia. Moreover, financial flows related to cyber fraud often lead to Taiwan, China and Dubai through various channels like hawala, cryptocurrency exchanges, etc,” SP Cyber Crime Rahul Gupta told The Goan when asked about cases where the accused operate from abroad besides challenges in tracking, identifying or extraditing them to India.
He further said that Ahmedabad police recently arrested two Taiwanese who came to India to establish and deepen the cyber fraud network.
While Goa Police’s Cyber unit has not zeroed down any specific persons so far; in many cases, IP addresses from these countries are identified. “But we cannot get more details after that,” he added.
If not just the cross-border challenges, issues also revolved around retrieving funds due to procedural bottlenecks and international hurdles. The department however claims to have intensified its fight against cybercrime.
In 2024, the Cyber Crime Police Station registered 52 cases with the State ranking fifth in the country to put the amount on hold (lean). Gupta stated that the total money siphoned by the fraudsters is Rs 25,72,16,989 involved in these crimes.
When asked if cybercrime cases are rising, the SP stated the trend is nationwide due to “greed, lack of awareness and social manipulation by fraudsters.”
“The growth in cybercrime is driven by several factors -- increased digitalization, lack of awareness, insufficient cybersecurity measures, rising online financial transactions, sophisticated cybercriminal techniques, and the surge in remote work post-pandemic,” he explained.
In the same breath, he added that efforts are being made to raise awareness and encourage the reporting of cybercrime incidents.
As for the total amount lost to cyber fraudsters this year, the figure stands at a massive Rs 92 crore. Gupta said out of this they managed to save Rs 8.32 crore till date. “The total amount returned to the victims through Cyber Crime Portal is Rs 1,85,996 and through Cyber Crime Police Station is Rs 14 lakh,” he said.
The low recovery figures are partly attributed to victims not approaching local courts to obtain necessary orders for releasing the frozen funds. Gupta said they are motivating complainants to approach the courts as the release of money requires judicial orders.
