New data presented in the legislative council highlights the growing challenge of cybercrime in Karnataka, where conviction rates remain extremely low despite thousands of reported cases. Statistics shared by Home Minister G. Parameshwara show that only 178 convictions were recorded over the past 5 years, representing just 0.2% of total cybercrime cases. During the same period, acquittals were higher, with 402 cases accounting for 0.5%.
Financial recovery from cyber fraud has also been limited. Authorities managed to recover Rs 626 crore out of Rs 4,699 crore lost to cybercrime over the past 2 years, resulting in a recovery rate of about 13%.
Addressing the council, Parameshwara said cybercrime initially saw a sharp rise but enforcement efforts are gradually improving the situation. “We were the first to launch a cybercrime police station in the country, with the Infosys Foundation funding Rs 20 crore for the project that was initiated at CID headquarters,” he said.
“International experts who recently visited the facility lauded it as one of the best.”
According to the minister, cybercrime cases increased by 72% in 2023, reaching 22,255 cases. However, the number declined to 14,899 in 2025 due to stronger enforcement measures.
National figures, however, present a different picture. Data from the ‘Crime in India’ report by the National Crime Records Bureau and cited by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in a Lok Sabha reply in Dec 2025 shows that between 2019 and 2023 Karnataka filed only 4 chargesheets in cybercrime cases. During that period, no trials were completed and there were zero convictions.
Reports from a neighbouring state suggest that the low conviction rate may be linked to difficulties in collecting digital evidence, procedural delays and technical complexities during trials.
The issue gained further attention after a major “digital arrest” scam in Nov last year, when a senior executive from a company in Bengaluru lost Rs 32 crore, the largest reported amount in such a fraud. “We arrested the perpetrator and are proceeding legally,” Parameshwara said.
In these scams, fraudsters typically contact victims through video calls while pretending to be officials from agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Enforcement Directorate. They create a fake office setting with agency logos and threaten victims with arrest, forcing them to isolate themselves and transfer money.
The minister said police have identified around 42,000 mule bank accounts used to move fraud money and have arrested nearly 500 individuals involved in operating them. Mule accounts are often opened using unsuspecting individuals or rented out for commission.
Meanwhile, council member K. Govindaraju noted that several vacancies still remain despite the creation of a cybersecurity division and upgraded posts within the police department.
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