Haryana records cyber fraud fund restoration rate of 31 pc, over 8 times national average

Chandigarh, Jul 6 (PTI) Haryana recorded a cyber fraud fund restoration rate of 31 per cent through the Money Restoration Module (MRM), a portal launched by the Union Home Ministry in June to help victims recover money lost through cyber fraud, officials said on Monday. Officials said that Haryana’s record was more than eight times the national average of 3.85 per cent. They further said 14,139 unlawful online contents, containing phishing websites, fake advertisements, fraudulent social media posts and non-consensual intimate imagery, were removed through the Sahyog Portal in the first six months of 2026. The figures were presented during a review meeting chaired by Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, who directed officials to strengthen technology-driven policing, artificial intelligence-based cyber surveillance and cybercrime investigation. Officials said Haryana secured 2,241 restoration orders in 7,316 cyber fraud cases under the MRM developed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). SP (Cyber) Mayank Gupta said the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C), established at Panchkula in 2023, has expanded its operations by adding AI integration, social media monitoring, online child and women crime (OCWC), creative awareness and secret cell units. Proposals for training, research, dark web investigation and virtual digital asset divisions are also under consideration, he said. On June 25, the state operationalised the e-Zero FIR facility for cyber fraud complaints involving more than Rs 1 lakh received through the national 1930 helpline. Under this process, complaints are automatically converted into Zero FIRs and forwarded to the concerned cyber police stations for immediate action. The meeting also reviewed action against organised cybercrime in Nuh. Between January 2025 and June 2026, police registered 473 suo motu FIRs, arrested 927 cybercriminals, seized 751 mobile phones and 1,442 SIM cards, besides blocking over 43,000 mobile numbers and 5,007 linked IMEIs. Officials said 3,947 cybercriminals were arrested across Haryana during the first half of 2026. They further said that around 9,100 police personnel have received cyber investigation training between January 2025 and June 2026, while 675 personnel are currently engaged in cybercrime investigations. The chief secretary also reviewed public awareness campaigns, under which Haryana Police organised 1,322 programmes, reaching about 3.14 lakh people during the first six months of 2026. Rastogi directed departments to expedite manpower recruitment for the S4C, strengthen AI-enabled cyber intelligence and improve coordination to ensure faster investigation, prosecution and assistance to cybercrime victims. PTI VSD KSI KSI