Increase in Cyber Crime at India- Trends, Challenges and Role of Karnataka

India, over the past few years, is seeing a drastic increase in cases of cybercrime, increasing from 53,000 cases in 2021 to 66,000 cases in 2022 and around 86,400 in 2023 according to government data. The crimes include fake job offers, online scam investments, fake social media profiles or impersonation scams are all disciplined under the provision of Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Section 66D addresses the issue of “cheating by personation using a computer resource” and provides a punishment of no more than three years imprisonment and fine that may be imposed is up to Rs 1 lakh.
Karnataka in Cyber Crime:
• Case volume: In Karnataka,341 cases of Section 66D were recorded, with Karnataka accounting for more than 70% of crimes overall in India, compared to 25% before the pandemic in 2019. Nationally, the percentage of criminal cases decreased from 15% in 2021 and increased afterwards to 19% in 2022 and around 25% in 2023.
• Section 66D Prevalence: Of the total number of criminal cases in Karnataka that satisfy section 66D,they represented 83% of total cases in 2023 compared to 8.5% pre-pandemic in 2019 and 70% in 2021. From 12 % of the distribution of cases for national cases of cybercrime in 2019 to 29% in 2023.
• Examples of crimes: We call to mind 2023 virally circulated deepfake video of actor Rashmika Mandanna, a scammer posing as a TRAI official targeting a senior officer in state of Karnataka.

 Why Karnataka may be unique?
High levels of cybercrime in Karnataka may not indicate that it is a high crime area, but rather proactive policing:
• Specific Units: Karnataka was the first state to create a city cybercrime police station in Bengaluru, opened in March 2017, with eight units that address cybercrime, economic crime, and narcotics in the community.
• Better Reporting: The trainings that the police have received about cybercrime and recording crime can predict higher case numbers from the state, setting it apart from the other states.
Challenges in Fighting Cybercrime:
• Very Low Charge-Sheeting: In 2023, only one-quarter of section 66D cases were charge-sheeted in India. Indian cyber crimes charge-sheeting is around one-third (33.9%).
• Very Low Conviction Rate: Section 66D trial cases resulted in convictions one-third (33%) of the time, compared to the overall conviction rate of all cyber crimes (27.6%). These numbers indicate that there are gaps in the investigation process, treatment of evidence, or preparation of a legal case.
• Judicial Gaps and Investigative Gaps: At Shield 2025, an annual cybersecurity conference in Hyderabad, a retired Supreme Court judge mentioned literacy-computer training for lawyers, prosecutors, and judges. Similarly, the Inspector General (Cybercrime) in Rajasthan mentioned the importance of having an investigating officer with “digital proficiency.”