West Bengal has bucked the national trend in cyber crime with a steady decline in reported cases over the past three years, even as numbers surged across India.
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released in early October, cyber crime cases in the west bengal fell from 513 in 2021 to 401 in 2022, and further to 309 in 2023. In contrast, nationwide cases increased from 52,430 in 2021 to 64,907 in 2022, reaching 85,603 in 2023.
Despite its large population, West Bengal remains among the states with the lowest cyber crime rates. In 2021, its 513 cases accounted for less than 1% of total national cases. By comparison, Karnataka reported 21,889 cases and Telangana 18,236 cases in 2023. Critical fraud-related offences under the IT Act, 2000, were also low, with only 61 cases in 2021. Cases of Identity Theft (Section 66C) and Tampering with Computer Source Documents (Section 65) numbered just 5 and 1 respectively.
Bengal has demonstrated high prosecutorial efficiency, with a chargesheet rate of approximately 80.7%. However, challenges remain: 1,457 cases from previous years are still pending trial, while 296 new cases were sent for trial in the latest reporting period. West Bengal has a dedicated Public Prosecutor for cyber law and electronic evidence cases.
Bivas Chatterjee, Special Public Prosecutor in Cyber Laws and Electronic Evidence, said, “The first conviction in a digital arrest was in Bengal. The state has secured conviction in different types of cyber crime. The cyber wing is also on their toes. Many cases are disposed of at a very early stage. Even conviction is higher in our state when it comes to cyber crime.”
Experts note that under-reporting may still exist in some categories, particularly fraud, identity theft, and sextortion. Low numbers in these high-impact categories may reflect under-detection or reluctance to file complaints, suggesting that increased citizen awareness could improve reporting.
Every district now has at least one Cyber Crime police station, and officers are trained to handle cyber fraud complaints, assist citizens in filing cases, and conduct preliminary investigations.
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