Growing Incidence of Cybercrime in India: Causes and Remedies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71426/jassh.v2.i1.pp73-88Keywords:
Cybercrime, Digital fraud, I4C, NCRB, Internet penetration, Conviction deficit.Abstract
Over the last ten years, India's digital transformation has dramatically altered its social and economic landscape. At the same time as providing unparalleled opportunity for economic development, it has exposed the Indian population to rapidly emerging and intensifying levels of cybercrime. This study explores the growing prevalence of cybercrime within India using official data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C). It will examine the multi-faceted dimensions of this issue. The research aims to identify key factors contributing to the dramatic rise in cybercrimes, assess how effective are current institutional frameworks for managing cybercrime, and propose actionable policy options based on empirical data for enhancing prevention of and prosecutions for cybercrimes. Two main hypotheses were tested by this study. Hypothesis 1 states that the growth in cybercrime offenses is directly related to increases in Internet penetration throughout India. Hypothesis 2 states that, despite enactment of the Information Technology Act 2008 and establishment of the I4C mechanism, these have not resulted in reductions in cybercrime offense growth rates. The methodology employed for conducting the analysis was documentary analysis. Registered cybercrime offenses increased at an annualized rate of approximately 35.5% during 2014-24. Offense numbers rose from 9622 in 2014 to 86,420 in 2023. In addition, registered offense numbers rose to 101,928 in 2024, an increase of nearly 18%. Therefore, substantial shortcomings exist regarding mechanisms for recovering lost funds. The low conviction rate of just 2.6 % in 2023 demonstrates that there are serious deficiencies in the criminal justice system which prevent effective prosecution of cybercrime offenders. Both of the above stated hypotheses have been supported by the results of this study. The study concluded with specific and actionable recommendations for enhancing India’s cybersecurity infrastructure and for improvement of prosecution outcomes for cybercrimes.
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