Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna has provided detailed insights into the state's approach to policing, addressing the controversial issue of police encounters while highlighting significant progress in combating cyber crime. In an exclusive interview, the state's top police officer explained the circumstances that lead to encounters and outlined his comprehensive strategy for modernizing law enforcement.
Zero Tolerance Policy and Police Encounters
DGP Krishna, who took charge of India's largest police force on May 31, 2025, firmly backed the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government's zero tolerance policy against crime. The 1991-batch IPS officer addressed the sensitive topic of police encounters that have occurred over the past eight years, where more than 200 criminals have died during police engagements.
The police chief explained that encounters occur only under specific circumstances. "We arrest thousands of criminals annually, and in 95-98% of cases, the arrests happen normally without resistance," Krishna stated. However, he noted that a small percentage of hardened criminals resort to firing at police officers during apprehension attempts.
"Those criminals killed during engagement with police are very hardened with no respect for the law," the DGP emphasized. "They typically have 40-50 or even more cases against them. When they fire at police, officers have to retaliate in self-defense using the principle of minimum force."
Comprehensive Cyber Crime Prevention Strategy
Cyber crime prevention ranks among DGP Krishna's top ten priorities for transforming UP policing. The state has dramatically expanded its cyber crime infrastructure, growing from just one cyber police station a decade ago to 75 currently operational stations - one in every district.
The transformation includes establishing cyber help desks at all 1,568 police stations across Uttar Pradesh. To build human capacity, the police force has implemented an aggressive training program through the CyTrain portal (National Cybercrime Training Centre). This comprehensive 8-hour training requires personnel to pass tests after each module before progressing.
Remarkable training achievements include 72,161 certificates awarded to police personnel in just three months, covering ranks from constables to DG-level officers. The training focuses on changing the mindset that cyber crime handling requires specialized experts, instead empowering all officers to handle such cases effectively.
Tackling Digital Arrest Scams and Financial Recovery
DGP Krishna addressed the growing concern of digital arrest scams, where fraudsters posing as government officials threaten victims through video calls and demand money. He clarified a crucial point for citizens: "No government agency - CBI, ED, police, Income Tax, or any other - interacts through video to announce arrests and request money transfers. There is no concept of digital arrest in Indian law."
The cyber crime prevention efforts have yielded significant financial protection results. For every ₹100 defrauded and reported to the national cyber crime helpline 1930, UP Police manages to freeze ₹20.90. The statistics for 2025 (until October 31) reveal impressive numbers: ₹251 crore successfully frozen from a total fraud amount of ₹1,299 crore based on 1930 complaints.
The police department has also blocked 1.82 lakh mobile sets and 12,574 IMEI numbers in the past three to four months alone. Victims are either already receiving their funds back or the amounts are in the return process, with the matter currently before the Hon'ble Allahabad High Court for establishing proper procedural safeguards.
Women Safety and Future Initiatives
Beyond cyber crime and encounters, DGP Krishna highlighted the continued focus on women's safety through the Mission Shakti Abhiyan, the state government's flagship scheme operating for the past five years. The program has seen innovations and modifications to improve ground-level delivery, showing encouraging results in addressing crimes against women.
The DGP's ten priorities for UP Police include: zero tolerance towards crime and criminals; women empowerment and addressing crimes against women; cyber crime prevention; police training; police welfare activities; strategic utilization of talent; use of AI in policing; enhancement of public service apps; improving public grievance redressal systems; and better traffic management focusing on reducing road accidents and congestion.
Krishna emphasized that citizens can minimize losses by understanding the "golden hour" concept in cyber crime - the critical period immediately after fraud occurs. Reporting crimes promptly to helpline 1930 with accurate transaction details significantly increases the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions and recovering money.
