Kerala Police centralises control of cyber stations under Cyber Division HQ

Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala continues to report a high number of cybercrime cases, the state police have decided to shift the administrative and operational control of all cyber police stations to the Cyber Division Headquarters here.

The state government recently granted approval to the State Police Chief to transfer control of 19 cyber police stations from the respective District Police Chiefs to the supervision of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Cyber Operations.

According to police officials, the decision aims to ensure a consistent and effective approach to cybercrime investigation across the state.

A government order said that henceforth, the 19 cyber police stations functioning in various police districts will report to the Superintendent of Police, Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Wing, under the overall supervision of the IGP, Cyber Operations.

"This restructuring will allow the Cyber Division to directly oversee field operations, manage resources, provide technical support, and coordinate efforts more efficiently, closing gaps currently caused by decentralised district-level control," the order said.

A senior police officer said that the cyber police stations will continue to register cybercrime cases referred from other police stations in their respective districts.

"The only change is that these stations will now report to the SP, ICT Wing. They will also handle cases detected by the Cyberdome wing of Kerala Police. More serious cybercrimes will be investigated by these stations," the officer said.

According to data on the Kerala Police website, 1,677 cybercrime cases were reported in the state till August this year. In 2024, the police registered 3,581 cybercrime cases.

Recently, the Kochi City Cyber Police Station registered a case in which a city-based businessman lost Rs 25 crore in an online investment scam.

Four people were later arrested in connection with the case.