India's High-Tech Battle Against Cybercrime: Scindia Unveils New Initiatives

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined a comprehensive, technology-driven strategy on Wednesday aimed at combating international spoof calls and the surge in cyber frauds. Central to these efforts are government initiatives that have substantially curbed fraudulent communications and financial scams. Among the highlights is the Sanchar Saathi initiative, which has recorded over 15.5 crore website hits since its May 16, 2023, launch. The mobile app version, rolled out on January 17, 2025, has garnered an impressive 44 lakh hits since its debut.

Sanchar Saathi, a digital safety platform focused on citizens, incorporates sophisticated tools including the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) for blocking lost or stolen phones, a Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), and AI-powered systems like ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition Technology) to identify fake connections. Financial fraud detection is bolstered by the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), which identifies potential threats. Scindia reported significant impact, with the platform disconnecting 29 lakh erroneous phone numbers, blocking 5.5 lakh handsets, 20,000 mass SMS senders, and 24 lakh fraudulent WhatsApp accounts, in addition to terminating 1.36 crore falsely duplicated mobile connections.

Responding to inquiries about cybercrime prevention, Scindia highlighted the new DIP, which integrates 620 organizations, comprising 570 private and public sector banks, police departments across 36 states, and various investigative agencies and telecom operators. This unified platform is crucial for implementing a cohesive strategy tackling telecom-related cyber crimes. Additionally, addressing mobile phone theft, Scindia noted 35 lakh complaints, of which 21 lakh mobiles have been traced and 5.6 lakh returned to users.

(With inputs from agencies.)