New Delhi: Cybercrime cases in India surged by nearly 18% in 2024, rising from 86,420 in 2023 to 1,01,928, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. Fraud emerged as the predominant motive behind these offenses.
Fraud Leads Cybercrime Motives
The report revealed that 73,987 cases of fraud—including financial frauds, computer-related offences, and cheating—were registered nationwide. Other motives included sexual exploitation (3,190 cases), extortion (2,488), causing disrepute (2,231), and personal revenge (1,850). Over 15,300 cases fell under the 'others' category.
Victim Demographics
Women were victims in more than 18,600 cases, while minors accounted for 1,753 cases.
Telangana Tops Cybercrime List
Telangana recorded the highest number of cybercrime cases at 27,230, a nearly 50% spike from 18,236 in the previous year. The state reported over 70 cases per one lakh population. Karnataka followed with 21,003 cases, while Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra also featured prominently.
Metropolitan Cities See Rise
Nearly 35,000 cases were registered in metropolitan cities in 2024, up from 34,000 in 2023 and 24,000 in 2022.
Investigation and Pending Cases
Combined with over one lakh pending cases from previous years, enforcement agencies faced the challenge of probing over two lakh cases in 2024. Final reports were submitted in over 53,000 cases (31.9%), while alleged criminals were chargesheeted in nearly 25,000 cases. Approximately 1.2 lakh cases, or 61.6%, remained pending investigation.
About 75,000 cases were pending trial before courts at the start of 2024, with investigating agencies adding more than 25,000 new cases during the year.
