Maha Kumbh: 56 'cyber warriors' deployed to safeguard devotees against online scams

Mahakumbh Nagar: The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday said it has made special cyber security arrangements to safeguard devotees attending the Maha Kumbh, with a team of 56 "cyber warriors" being deployed.

The Senior Superintendent of Police of Mahakumbh Nagar area, a dedicated district for the fair, will oversee the complete monitoring of the 'Digital Mahakumbh'.

An action plan has been formulated to tackle cyber criminals as part of the security measures. A special cyber help desk is being set up in all the police stations of Mahakumbh Nagar where experts will be deployed for cyber patrolling, the statement read.

Awareness campaigns are also underway with information being shared through films on Variable Messaging Displays (VMD) and across various social media platforms in Prayagraj. For this, AI, X, Facebook, and Google are being effectively used, the government said.

About 45 crore devotees are expected to visit Mahakumbh Nagar this year.

"A total of 40 VMDs will be installed in both the fair area and the commissionerates where devotees will be informed about cybersecurity measures to help them stay vigilant against cyber criminals," it added.

The Maha Kumbh cyber police station has been set up to protect devotees from cyber threats such as AI, fraudulent websites, and social media scammers. The primary goal is to provide robust online security for attendees, eliminating the risk posed by fake links used by cybercriminals, it said.

"Currently, the state's team of experts has identified around 50 suspicious websites, and action is underway against them. Additionally, a mobile cyber team has been deployed to raise awareness and address online threats on a large scale, it added," SSP Maha Kumbh Rajesh Dwivedi said.

He said a dedicated helpline number, 1920, has been issued for information related to the Mahakumbh mela. People are encouraged to use government websites with the ".gov.in" domain for reliable details.

"Furthermore, cyber experts are actively monitoring and investigating gangs that exploit AI, Facebook, X and Instagram to scam people," he said.