The I4C, part of the cyber and information security division of the MHA, is tasked with addressing the growing cybercrime threats in a coordinated and comprehensive manner
The Indian government has established an inter-ministerial committee to combat a recent increase in transnational organized cybercrimes targeting Indians from Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia. Rajesh Kumar, CEO of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), announced at a press conference that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) set up the committee on May 16, and it has already held two meetings.
The committee is led by the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the MHA and includes representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, Department of Financial Services, banks, Financial Intelligence Unit, Department of Telecommunication (DoT), and financial technology companies. Kumar explained, “We have seen a spurt in organized cybercrime emanating from Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos PDR. The increase is evident in the number of victims, the volume of attacks, and the amount of money lost.” He added, “We find that 45 per cent of cyber financial frauds in India originate from this region.”
The I4C, part of the cyber and information security division of the MHA, is tasked with addressing the growing cybercrime threats in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. Kumar noted that the amount of money lost per crime is significantly higher for cybercrimes originating from Southeast Asia, prompting the formation of the high-level committee for focused action.
The I4C has been actively monitoring and blocking cybercrime infrastructure, including Skype accounts, advertisements on Google and Meta, SMS headers, SIM cards, and bank accounts. In the last four months, 3.25 lakh mule accounts (bank accounts used for laundering cybercrime funds with stolen KYC documents) have been frozen. Additionally, more than 3,000 URLs and 595 mobile apps have been blocked, 5.3 lakh SIM cards and 80,848 IMEI numbers have been suspended since July last year, and 3,401 unlawful contents on social media platforms, websites, and WhatsApp groups have been taken down in the last two months. This includes the removal of 1,500 Skype IDs.
Kumar mentioned, “We have seen that cybercrimes from this region involve luring people through investment, gaming, dating, and fake trading apps.” The reported financial loss from cybercrimes in India over the past few months is Rs 7,061.51 crore, with Rs 812.72 crore, or about 12 percent, recovered.
From January to April, there were 4,599 complaints of “digital arrest” fraud, where scammers impersonate government officials. During the same period, there were 20,043 trading scam complaints, 62,687 investment scam complaints, and 1,725 romance or dating scam complaints.
“These are basically spoof calls being made from abroad using spoofed Indian numbers. We are working with the DoT to address this,” Kumar said. “I would like to inform the general public that they should disconnect such calls and not panic.”
Kumar also highlighted a case where Indian youngsters were lured with fake data entry job offers in Cambodia. Once there, they were forced into cybercrimes such as investment scams, trading app scams, and dating scams. Recently, Andhra Pradesh Police arrested three local agents after some Indians in a suspected scam compound in Sihanouk city, Cambodia protested. The Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh has arranged for the return of 360 Indians and is working with Cambodian authorities to repatriate the remaining individuals.
“We request the public not to fall for false recruitment advertisements and easy income schemes that promise huge returns in a short period,” Kumar advised.
