Amid growing cybercrimes, Delhi Police to set up cyber police station in every district

With a rise in cybercrime in the national capital, the Delhi Police will set up a dedicated cyber police station in every district to deal with such cases effectively.

The Delhi government's Department of Home has issued a notification to this effect. Cyber police stations will be set up in all 15 police districts.

According to officials, the police stations are likely to start functioning from December 1.

The notification said it is considered necessary to set up cyber police stations in each notified police district to investigate cybercrime cases.

"The Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, in order to facilitate extension of better police assistance to the public, hereby, is pleased to direct and declare that the cyber police stations in east, northeast, south, southeast, southwest, west, outer, central, north, northwest, Shahdara, Rohini, New Delhi, Dwarka and outer north shall be the cyber police stations in each notified 15 police districts in Delhi from the date of issue of this notification," it stated.

The cyber police stations shall function from the location as described in Schedule-A or from any other place where the office is shifted in future from the date of issue of this notification, it added.

The cyber police stations shall have jurisdiction over the entire police district, it said.

According to Schedule-A, the cyber police station in east district will be located at Pandav Nagar police station and in northeast district, it will be located at Jyoti Nagar police station.

It will be located at Saket police station in south district, at Badarpur police station in southeast, at Vasant Vihar police station in southwest, at Hari Nagar police station in west and at Paschim Vihar West police station in outer district.

The cyber police stations at central, north, northwest, Shahdara, Rohini, New Delhi, Dwarka and outer north districts will be located at Kamla Market, Maurice Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Shahdara, Budh Vihar, Mandir Marg, Dwarka North and Samaypur Badli/Bawana police stations respectively, the notification said.

The Delhi Police has a separate unit called Cyber Prevention Awareness Detection (CyPAD) unit for cybercrimes that functions under its Special Cell. Each district also has specific cyber cells. The CyPAD has been renamed as the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit.

Officials said the cyber police stations will report directly to the district deputy commissioner of police. The police stations will work in coordination with the IFSO unit.

According to data provided by the Delhi Police during its annual press conference in February, there was a rise in cybercrime cases from March to May 2020, when restrictions were in place due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The number of such cases went up from around 2,000 in March to more than 4,000 in May.