As India’s digital ecosystem expands at record speed, authorities are warning of a fast-growing parallel economy built around “cybercrime-as-a-service,” with a new victim emerging every 37 seconds.
At a high-level summit in New Delhi, officials outlined how cybercrime in India has shifted from isolated attacks to organised and systematic operations. Addressing the “Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds & Dismantling the Ecosystem” conference, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said cybercrime has moved beyond “lone wolf” attacks to an industrial model where bank accounts are bought and sold like services.
According to estimates shared at the event, nearly 100 people fall victim to cybercrime every hour. For agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, the challenge now lies in tackling automated and complex fraud methods that exploit India’s rapid digital growth.
India’s vulnerability is closely linked to its digital success. Internet users have grown from 250 million 11 years ago to over 1 billion today. Officials noted that every second digital transaction globally now takes place in India. While this has made the country a leader in digital payments, it has also widened the scope for fraud. Shah described the issue as a “national security threat,” stressing the need to move beyond traditional policing methods.
Data from the I4C portal shows the scale of the challenge. Between January 2020 and late 2025, the platform was accessed more than 230 million times. During this period, 8.2 million complaints were registered, of which 184,000 were converted into FIRs.
Financial losses remain high, with total fraud estimated at around Rs 20,000 crore. Authorities, working with 62 banks and financial institutions, managed to freeze or return Rs 8,189 crore to victims. By December 2025, over 1.2 million suspicious SIM cards were cancelled, IMEI numbers of more than 300,000 mobile devices were blocked, and 20,853 people were arrested.
The government is now focusing on strengthening the “1930” national helpline. Complaints have risen from 52,000 in 2021 to 86,000 in the latest period. Officials said quick response is critical, as delays allow stolen money to move through multiple accounts, making recovery difficult.
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