Think and click: Calls to 1930 surge to 24L in Karnataka in 4 years; reporting within 60–90 mins aids fund recovery

BENGALURU: Calls to the national cybercrime helpline (1930) have risen sharply in the state over the last four years, reflecting growing awareness on how to report online frauds promptly.

Data from Karnataka police shows calls jumped from 1.3 lakh in 2022 to 24 lakh in 2025.According to official records, 1,30,330 victims of cybercrimes across the state called the helpline in 2022. The number increased to 4,67,258 in 2023; 10,79,458 in 2024 and reached a record high of 24,08,475 calls in 2025.

The golden hour for cybercrime reportingCalls made within 60 to 90 minutes of the offence, in the “golden hour,” significantly increased chances of freezing funds in the bank accounts of the suspects, said the director-general and inspector-general of police (DG-IGP), MA Saleem.

“The cybercrime helpline number 1930 started functioning from Dec 2021. We request cybercrime victims to dial 1930 at the earliest and share all documents. A delay in filing a complaint helps miscreants withdraw the money from the mule bank accounts,” he added.“In 2025, cybercrime cases fell because of two issues awareness among public and police actions like deactivating the mobile numbers of the suspects,” he said.

Quick response by victims comparatively lowDespite the increase in the number of calls to the helpline, quick response by the victims remains comparatively low. In 2022, cybercrime losses stood at Rs 113 crore across Karnataka, and police managed to freeze just Rs 8 crore. In 2025, Rs 436 crore was frozen and Rs 2,640 crore was lost to cybercriminals.DCP (crime) Raja Imam Kasim said the increase in the number of calls made to 1930 reflects growing awareness among the public. “Recently, we recovered about Rs 2.2 crore lost in an email spoofing fraud. The 100% recovery was possible because the complaint was filed (by calling 1930) within 15–20 minutes of the fraud. When a complaint is made through 1930, we look for the details of the suspect’s bank accounts. On finding the money in those accounts, we seize them. Knowing this, miscreants try to withdraw the money as soon as possible,” he said.If the lines are busy, victims can also file complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in.