Bhubaneswar: Odisha government on Tuesday launched a special helpline number ‘1930’ for victims of cybercrime in the state. The new move aims to curb cybercrime too and the drive will be intensified in the coming days, said Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra.
The move was taken in view of rising cases of cybercrime related to finance and sex abuse on women and children. Mahapatra said awareness campaigns will be organised for the purpose. Any unlawful act where a computer, communication device or computer network is used to commit or facilitate crime must be checked, he added.
The drive against cybercrime will include elderly persons, students, Asha and Anganwadi workers, and self-help groups (SHGs). Thirty-four awareness-creating vehicles named ‘Sachetanata Rath’ equipped with audio and visual materials will be pressed into service in the state.
People will be made aware to verify the authenticity before carrying out a financial transaction, avoid friendships with unknown persons and avoid clicking on links, SMSs and Apps received from suspicious sources.
As a part of the drive against cybercrime, symposiums and seminars will be conducted on a regular basis across the state. Quiz, debates and essay competitions are to be organised at the school level. Odisha is the first state in the country in launching anti-cybercrime campaigns, the Chief Secretary added.
It is pertinent to mention, 52,975 cybercrime cases were registered in the country in 2021, which was 5.9 per cent more as compared to the cases registered in the previous year. Similarly, 1485 cybercrime cases were registered in Odisha in 2019, 1931 cases in 2020 and 2037 cases in 2021 during the same period. On the other hand, 3402 petitions were received in the State in 2022 and 7700 petitions in 2022 respectively through cyber help desks.
