Ahmedabad: In 2024, Gujarat Police recorded 1,592 FIRs in cases related to cybercrimes. According to the recently published report ‘Crime in India 2024’ by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), about half the cases were related to cheating (698) and forgery (97).According to the report, cybercrimes saw a dip compared to 2023. In 2022, the state recorded 1,417 cases; the figure rose to 1,995 in 2023, but came down to 1,592 in 2024. The rate of crimes (crimes recorded per 1 lakh population) was 2.2, which was much lower than the national rate of 7.3.Of the total cases, 347 were recorded under the sections of the IT Act, whereas the bulk of the cases (1,221) were under the sections of IPC/ BNS, and the remaining 24 under State and Local Laws (SLLs).Some of the other major crimes recorded included 80 frauds — 44 online banking frauds, 10 marketing and finance frauds, four ATM frauds, two fraud calls, and two e-wallet/ UPI frauds.The state police recorded 25 cases of cyberstalking or bullying, 19 cases of fake online profiles, 13 cases of data theft, and 12 cases of violation of privacy among others.The state was the joint third in cases of data theft with Bihar at 13 after Maharashtra (35 cases) and Telangana (14), according to the report.City-based cybercrime experts said that the figures should be seen in the context of overall crimes and reporting of crimes. “A majority of cybercrime cases are recorded first as applications and are investigated due to the unique nature of the cases where the perpetrators could be in other states or even other countries,” a cybercrime expert said.The expert said, “Before the onslaught of digital arrests in 2025, we primarily saw financial crimes using technology. The nature of cybercrimes has also changed over the past couple of years.”Awareness remains the key, the expert said.BOX1Con ProfileCategories of cybercrimes recorded in GujaratAct Cases %IT Act 347 22%BNS/ IPC 1,221 77%State/local laws 24 1%BOX2Crime triggersMotive CasesFraud 1,053Causing disrepute 292Sexual exploitation 77Extortion 44Other 126Total 1,592Other motives include revenge, political advantagePointersState statsHighlights of cybercrimes in Gujarat97 cases of forgery44 cases of online banking fraud35 cases of blackmailing25 cases of cyberstalking/bullying19 cases of fake profiles13 cases of data theft12 cases of violation of privacy10 cases of marketing/ investment frauds9 cases of identity theft4 cases of ATM frauds3 cases of cyber terrorism3 cases of abetment of suicide
