Karnataka to set up cybercrime command centre K4C in Bengaluru in 3–4 months

Bengaluru: In a significant step towards future-proofing investigations against cybercrimes, the Karnataka Cybercrime Command Centre (K4C) is all set to be established in the next three to four months.

Well-placed Karnataka Home Department sources confirmed to DH that K4C will be under the aegis of Cyber Command Centre (CCC), headed by Pronab Mohanty, Director General of Police (Cyber Command). The proposal is currently before the state government.

“It will be like a hub and spoke model. The central command will be in Bengaluru, with centres in each district. The implementation will be done across four phases between 2025 and 2030,” sources said.

Once implemented, the K4C will have the following verticles: Cyber, Economics and Narcotics (CEN), Cyber Forensics, Financial Forensics, Cyber Security Auditing, Crypto and Blockchain, Cybercrime Investigation, Engineering, DevOps, Data Analysis and Visualisation, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI&ML).

“K4C will be the beating heart and the hub of the CCC. Under this, there will be four units: one for tackling cybercrimes, the second is Cyber Security for training, outreach and capacity building, the third is the Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU) enabled by AI, and the fourth for tackling Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) or anti-CSAM,” sources said.

The establishment of K4C is pursuant to directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and orders of the Supreme Court to set up state Cyber Crime Coordination Centres (S4C) on the lines of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).

“It is also a result of a High Court order last year, following which the Cyber Command Centre (CCC) was set up in the state. It currently has around 3,000 officers and staff,” sources said.

The High Court order had noted that such an investigating agency “will be a pioneer in the new age crime by a new agency investigative branch.”

“The idea is that the personnel trained specifically to handle cybercrime cases should be deputed to K4C. There should also be specialised cybercrime detectives, like those in the CID. Subsequently, specialised units will also monitor the dark web. They should not be deputed to other routine work at the whims of other unit heads. Otherwise, there is no point in imparting specialised training to the personnel,” said the sources.