Bengaluru: Cybercrimes double in rural areas in two years

Bengaluru: While cybercrimes are often considered an urban phenomenon, data shows that their number in rural areas  in the state has nearly doubled in the last two years. 

In 2022, a total of 880 cases were reported from rural areas, but this increased to 1,600 by 2024. Tribal areas saw 12 cybercrime cases in 2024 as against a single case in 2023 and none in 2022. 

Experts linked the spike to an increase in digital media usage. 

"Wherever there is internet connectivity, there is a potential for cybercrimes," said M A Saleem, DGP, Criminal Investigation Department (CID). 

N A Vijay Shankar, Founder Chairman of the Digital Society Foundation, explained that cybercriminals mostly choose their victims randomly. "They just randomly call numbers and whoever responds falls prey. Hence, the increased use of digital media is the main cause for the increase in cases," he noted. 

He added that the increased awareness and ease of filing complaints could have also led to an increase in the number of cases reported. 

"Now, the victims can directly call 1930 or even raise a complaint online. It is not as difficult as it used to be earlier. Hence, the number of complaints may have also gone up," Shankar said. 

Officials said that cybercrimes such as part-time jobs scams, blackmailing using morphed pictures and cheating on the pretext of providing help to get benefits of government schemes have been recorded in rural areas. 

"In fact, the nature of complaints is pretty similar to those in urban areas. Investment scams, part-time jobs scam, and such things similar to those in urban areas," said Dr Bheemashankar Guled, Superintendent of Police, Belagavi. 

Recently, an elderly couple in Khanapur of Belagavi died by suicide fearing digital arrest. 

The data was presented in the Legislative Council during the March session and the home department in its written answer said that numerous measures were put in place to create awareness about such crimes in rural areas. 

From awareness camps in schools and colleges to circulation of pamphlets with information on such crimes, many measures were put in place, the reply noted.