With cyber fraud becoming increasingly complex and difficult to trace, Odisha is planning a State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) to strengthen investigations and improve coordination between law enforcement agencies. The centre will focus on identifying and dismantling organised cyber fraud networks operating across state borders.
The move comes as investigators continue to face challenges in reaching the masterminds behind multi-layered cybercrime syndicates. Police have largely been able to arrest first-level agents and benami bank account holders, while the main operators continue to evade arrest. Recovering defrauded money from intermediaries and account holders has also remained difficult.
Officials said poor coordination between departments is a major hurdle. Investigators face delays in obtaining information about benami bank accounts, shell companies and cybercrime records through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Limited information sharing between states has further slowed investigations.
The proposed S4C will act as Odisha’s nodal agency for cybercrime investigations. It will coordinate with cyber police units across the country and bring together technical experts, telecom operators, banks, legal authorities and law enforcement agencies. The aim is to speed up investigations and improve conviction rates.
A senior Crime Branch official said the centre will operate as a dedicated police unit under the Director General of Police (DGP). It will be headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and report directly to Police Headquarters. Separate wings will handle cyber investigations, cyber operations and enforcement, while also streamlining cyber police stations and cyber cells across Odisha.
Cybersecurity expert Lingaraj Sethi said the centre could significantly strengthen Odisha’s response to organised cybercrime. He said the existing Computer Emergency Response Team-Odisha (CERT-O) has become less effective, while delays in information sharing between the Crime Branch Cyber Cell and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) have affected investigation efficiency.
According to official sources, 10 states—Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal—have already established similar centres.
Last month, Home Department Joint Secretary Minakshi Behera wrote to the Director General of Police recommending that Odisha establish the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
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