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Amit Shah pointed out that 11 years ago, India had only 250 million internet users, whereas today it has crossed 1 billion, reaching new heights in the digital domain. (file)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Tuesday that one person falls victim to cybercrime every 37 seconds, and that, on average, 100 people are affected every hour, and stressed that cybercrime has now evolved into an organised industry, where bank accounts are “bought and sold as a service.”
While delivering the keynote address at a conference titled “Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds & Dismantling the Ecosystem,” jointly organised by the CBI and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi, Shah underscored the need for collective, coordinated, and immediate action against cybercrime, describing it as a growing national security threat.
“If we do not take adequate steps, cyber fraud would not have remained just an ordinary crime, but would have turned into a national crisis. Therefore, all stakeholders must act simultaneously and urgently, whether it is identifying call centres operating domestically or abroad, conducting awareness campaigns, strengthening the 1930 helpline, reducing call response times, or improving coordination between banks and I4C,” he said.
Shah pointed out that 11 years ago, India had only 250 million internet users, whereas today it has crossed 1 billion, reaching new heights in the digital domain. “If we look at it from a global perspective, India has set new records in digital transactions, and every second digital transaction in the world is taking place in India. Securing these transactions is our highest priority,” Shah said.
From lone wolf attacks to organised and systematic criminal operations
Shah said that from January 2020 to November 30, 2025, the I4C reporting portal was accessed more than 230 million times. “As of November 30, 2025, more than 8.2 million cybercrime-related complaints had been registered on the portal, of which 184,000 were converted into FIRs, and a large number of complaints were effectively resolved. By December 31, 2025, around 62 banks and financial institutions had joined this mechanism,” he added.
“Through 361,000 cyber fraud complaints, the Centre has successfully safeguarded Rs 8,189 crore, which is a significant achievement. According to estimates, the total amount of fraud was around Rs 20,000 crore, out of which we have frozen or returned Rs 8,189 crore to the victims. By December 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs had cancelled more than 12 lakh suspicious SIM cards and blocked the IMEI numbers of over three lakh mobile devices. Till now, 20,853 accused persons have been arrested in cybercrime cases,” Shah said.
“While cybercrime complaints stood at 52,000 in 2021, the number has now risen to 86,000. Although the pace of investigation has been drastically improving, and much more remains to be done,” he said.
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The Union home minister said that as digital transactions have grown rapidly, the associated risks have also increased. “Cyber criminals, who once relied on simple manual hacking, are now using complex automated techniques. What were once isolated lone wolf attacks have evolved into organised and systematic criminal operations. Cybercrime has now become an industry where accounts are bought and sold as a service. Since criminals continuously adopt new technologies, there is a need for collective and sustained efforts to stay two steps ahead by moving beyond traditional approaches,” he added.
Shah said the helpline number 1930 has proved effective in helping victims of cyber fraud. He requested that all police units across the country ensure that a sufficient number of call handlers are deployed to the 1930 call centres. “If a victim’s call is not answered even after ringing several times, by then their money is gone, and it places a serious question mark on the credibility of 1930,” he said.
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