Panaji: Goa was among the five states and Union Territories that registered the highest number of e-Zero first information reports (FIRs) in cybercrime cases.Goa police registered a total of 446 e-Zero FIRs. The highest number of e-FIRs was registered in Delhi (6,115), followed by Chandigarh (4,174), Uttarakhand (552) and Rajasthan (251). The e-FIRs have been registered since May 2025.The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, mandates that every information relating to the commission of a cognisable offence, irrespective of the area where the offence is committed, may be given orally or by electronic communication to an officer in charge of a police station.Central govt has provided a platform to states/UTs for registering e-Zero FIRs in cybercrime cases specifically for cyber financial fraud cases.Under this system, complaints involving particular financial loss thresholds (as decided by respective state/ UT) registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) or through helpline 1930 will automatically result in the registration of an e-Zero FIR at the State/UT e-Crime Police Station, which is then promptly transferred to the concerned territorial cybercrime police station.“The complainant is required to visit the respective police station within three days to convert the Zero FIR into a regular FIR,” ministry of home affairs said.A total of 15 people were cheated in Goa per day in the first half of the year. A total of 2,637 Goans were cheated by cyber fraudsters, as reported at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), and lost around Rs 41 crore. Goa police have been able to save Rs 9.5 crore after freezing the accounts of the fraudsters.Police said that fraudsters use a variety of tactics–posing as bank officials, stockbrokers, airline staff, online booking agents, and traders– to gain victims’ trust before cheating them. Many scams originate through fake advertisements on social media platforms.According to the police, victims responding to such advertisements were often redirected to WhatsApp, where fraudsters shared QR codes for payment. After receiving the money, the fraudsters failed to deliver the promised products, leaving victims to realise later that they had been scammed.Police also received complaints from victims who were threatened with the circulation of objectionable photographs of themselves or their family members on social media unless they paid money demanded by the fraudsters.
