Incidents of cyber fraud in Haryana have witnessed a significant surge, with amounts involved reaching 327 crores in 2022 and escalating to 527 crores in 2023. Despite the police department’s claims of improved law and order, the state continues to grapple with a growing wave of cybercrime, causing substantial losses to its residents.
The data reveals a disconcerting trend, indicating that cyber criminals cheated thousands of people out of approximately 55 crores in 2020. This figure multiplied drastically by December 2023, with criminals stealing several hundred crores over the last few years.
The data further discloses that in 2020, cyber criminals defrauded people online of 55.06 crores, escalating to 69.44 crores in 2021. In 2022, this figure skyrocketed to a staggering 301.98 crores. By 2023, within 342 days from January 1 to December 8, cyber criminals had stolen a staggering 527.6 crores. In the last four years, online fraudsters have committed crimes totaling 953.59 crores.
Despite repeated efforts by the police department, the state is grappling with a relentless spike in cyber fraud incidents. The Mewat area in Haryana is now being recognized as the second ‘Jamtara’ across the country due to the prevalence of cybercrime.
Disturbing statistics reveal an elevenfold increase in cybercrime cases in Haryana over five years, with more than one lakh cases reported in 2023, compared to 9900 in 2019.
Gurugram stands out as the epicenter of cyber fraud, with losses amounting to 110 crores in 2022 and 149 crores in 2023. Other cities, such as Faridabad, Sonipat, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Panchkula, Ambala, Hisar, Jhajjar, Kaithal, Jind, and Bhiwani, also witnessed significant losses in 2023.
The gravity of the situation is underscored by the fact that Haryana reported a staggering 108,055 cases of cyber fraud in just 11 months and 8 days of 2023. This averages to more than 315 incidents daily. From 2019 to December 8, 2023, a total of 234,983 cases were reported in a span of approximately 59 months.
It is worth noting that approximately 4,000 cases of cyber fraud are reported monthly, translating to around 100-150 cases daily in Haryana. The escalation of reported cases from 9,900 in 2019 to 108,055 in 2023 reflects a concerning elevenfold increase in less than five years. Gurugram alone accounted for 87,382 of the total reported incidents, showcasing a ten percent increase in cybercrime in the last five years.
