Lok Sabha Question No. 1621 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-27
Subject: Blackmailing Through Social Media and Spoof Calls
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya, Anil Firojiya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1621

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.07.2022

## BLACKMAILING THROUGH  SOCIAL MEDIA AND SPOOF CALLS

## 1621.   SHRI MOHANBHAI KALYANJI KUNDARIYA: SHRI ANIL FIROJIYA:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government plans to take any action against those who blackmail people by doing fraud through social media and spoof calls;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the number of cases registered so far, State-wise details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) to (c): Government's  objectives  are  aimed  at  ensuring  Open,  Safe  &  Trusted  and Accountable  internet  for  its  users.  The  Government  is  aware  of  the  risk  and  danger  posed  by growing phenomena of misuse of Internet &various social media platforms by criminals and other elements and the user harms caused as a consequence. Government has enabled a National Cyber Crime  Reporting  portal,  namely,  cybercrime.gov.in.  Government  co-ordinates  with  States  and police in combating cyber crimes by assisting them through various awareness schemes also.

The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) at Centre and States take appropriate legal action as per provisions  of  law  against  the  cyber  crime  offenders.  As  per  the  information  received  from National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), there are 223, 362 and 303 cases are registered under Cyber  Blackmailing/Threatening  under  Cyber  Crimes  in  the  year  2018,  2019  and  2020, respectively, out of which 102, 109 and 121 cases were chargesheeted. State wise detail under Cyber Blackmailing/Threatening under Cyber Crimes during 2018-2020 is placed at Annexure.

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Number Case registered under Cyber Blackmailing/Threatening under Cyber Crimes during 2018-2020

| S L               | State/UT                   | 201 8   | 201 9   |   202 0 |
|-------------------|----------------------------|---------|---------|---------|
| 1                 | Andhra Pradesh             | 25      | 34      |      32 |
| 2                 | Arunachal Pradesh          | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 3                 | Assam                      | 29      | 104     |       2 |
| 4                 | Bihar                      | 3       | 3       |       1 |
| 5                 | Chhattisgarh               | 3       | 5       |       3 |
| 6                 | Goa                        | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 7                 | Gujarat                    | 6       | 8       |      21 |
| 8                 | Haryana                    | 7       | 3       |       1 |
| 9                 | Himachal Pradesh           | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 10                | Jharkhand                  | 1       | 11      |      11 |
| 11                | Karnataka                  | 2       | 0       |       0 |
| 12                | Kerala                     | 6       | 10      |       1 |
| 13                | Madhya Pradesh             | 20      | 6       |       9 |
| 14                | Maharashtra                | 12      | 33      |      27 |
| 15                | Manipur                    | 1       | 0       |       1 |
| 16                | Meghalaya                  | 11      | 0       |       2 |
| 17                | Mizoram                    | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 18                | Nagaland                   | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 19                | Odisha                     | 9       | 5       |       2 |
| 20                | Punjab                     | 14      | 10      |       6 |
| 21                | Rajasthan                  | 6       | 16      |      26 |
| 22                | Sikkim                     | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 23                | Tamil Nadu                 | 9       | 15      |      43 |
| 24                | Telangana                  | 16      | 23      |      49 |
| 25                | Tripura                    | 0       | 1       |       0 |
| 26                | Uttar Pradesh              | 12      | 51      |      44 |
| 27                | Uttarakhand                | 9       | 12      |       0 |
| 28                | West Bengal                | 15      | 5       |      16 |
|                   | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 216     | 355     |     297 |
| 29                | A&N Islands                | 0       | 1       |       0 |
| 30                | Chandigarh                 | 0       | 0       |       1 |
| 31                | D&N Haveli and Daman &Diu+ | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 32                | Delhi                      | 3       | 5       |       0 |
| 33                | Jammu &Kashmir*            | 4       | 1       |       5 |
| 34                | Ladakh                     | -       | -       |       0 |
| 35                | Lakshadweep                | 0       | 0       |       0 |
| 36                | Puducherry                 | 0       | 0       |       0 |
|                   | TOTAL UT(S)                | 7       | 7       |       6 |
| TOTAL (ALL INDIA) | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)          | 223     | 362     |     303 |

Source: Crime in India

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