The Mumbai Police have had a tough time curbing cyberspace offences, with the number of cases registered in 2011 seeing a 28.9 per cent hike from the previous year. According to police records, while 76 cyber crime cases were registered in 2010, the figure shot up to 98 last year.
Officers of the Cyber Crime Cell revealed that most cases deal with obscene e-mails, text messages, MMSes and derogatory comments about women on social networking websites. Statistics also show that most crimes reported to the police originated and took place on social networking sites.
Of the 98 cases reported in the city in 2011, 19 pertain to obscene e-mails, text messages and MMSes. There were 18 cases pertaining to social networking crimes in 2011, with the trail in most cases leading to persons known to victims, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy.
“Statistically speaking, most offenders in social networking-related crime were known to the victims. Almost all cases we have come across have shown that origins of obscene e-mails and messages are from someone the victim knows,” he said.
Roy said the list of offenders included jilted lovers and those who envied the victim for various reasons. “In some cases we cracked, we arrested jilted lovers, colleagues, and those whom the victims interacted with often. While the former lovers used the Internet to get back at the victim, jealous colleagues also took to social networking sites to spread rumours about them,” he said.
The offenders were booked under the Information Technology Act and produced in court, said Roy. He, however, said it was an uphill task to prevent such crimes. “We can nab people who indulge in such crimes. However, it is difficult to prevent them from taking place. We are taking a strict stand against such crimes and our action will act as a deterrent.”