Cyberfraud complaints cross 59k in four mnths: ADG

Patna: On the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), Bihar registered 59,579 complaints of cyber financial fraud in the first four months of 2026. The state has ranked fourth in the country in the registration of online cyber crime complaints and FIRs since 2024.

The total reported amount of cyberfraud stood at Rs199 crore, of which Rs51 crore, or 26.04%, was put on hold.

So far, Rs7 crore has been refunded to victims. After the formation of the Cyber Crime and Security Unit (CCSU) last year, a total of 602 cybercriminals have been arrested from Jan to April 2026 so far, compared to 1,098 arrests in 2025. In a special drive against mule accounts, 1,216 such accounts were identified.

The CCSU has reported significant progress in tackling cyberfraud between Jan and April 2026, with a sharp rise in helpline usage, complaints and enforcement actions.

Additional director general (ADG) of CCSU Amrit Raj said, “After the implementation of PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) facility at the 1930 call centre in Feb 2026, average daily calls jumped from 5,500 to 8,100, a 46% increase. The average number of online complaints related to cyberfinancial fraud also rose from 295 to 430 per day.

On the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, police in various districts registered 122 FIRs and took legal action against 234 persons, including five bank officials/staff. Another 5,035 suspected Layer-1 mule accounts have been flagged. Twenty-two bank branches with the highest number of mule accounts have been identified, and the involvement of bank employees is under probe.

“The unit tracked 815 users, retailers and distributors issuing fake Aadhaar, PAN, ration card, voter ID and residence certificates through illegal websites. Forty-one FIRs were registered and 67 cybercriminals arrested. Police seized 11 biometric scanners, 7 iris scanners, silicon fingerprints from three districts, and a large cache of electronic devices and forged documents,” the ADG said.

In a crackdown on SIM boxes, four cybercriminals were arrested in Madhubani this year. Seven SIM boxes, 167 mobiles, 44 SIMs and other electronics were seized. This case also led to the country’s first detection of a SIM box operating as software, which helped Haryana Police nab four SIM boxes in Gurugram.

Based on NCRP complaints, 4,147 mobile numbers and 638 IMEIs have been blocked. Also, 162 suspicious PoS (point of sale) agents selling fake SIMs have been identified for verification. A PoS agent is an individual who operates or owns a local point-of-sale terminal, such as a micro-ATM, card-swiping machine or telecom/SIM card outlet.

On inputs from I4C (Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre under ministry of home affairs), verification is underway for 1,600 non-resident passengers who travelled to Southeast Asian countries and may be victims of cyberslavery. Legal action is being taken against 39 suspected agents.

Three persons were arrested in Patna and Vaishali for storing, viewing and uploading obscene videos/photos after inputs from NCRP.

Five cybercriminals were arrested for illegally selling citizens’ SRT data like name, address, Aadhaar and PAN numbers. Cases were registered in Saran, Muzaffarpur and Purnia cyber police stations.

The CCSU ADG added, “The CCSU took down 659 objectionable posts from social media platforms this year, which is 80% of the total takedowns done in all of 2025. Officials said coordinated action with banks, telecom firms and I4C has improved detection and victim relief in 2026.”