Over the past decade, India’s national capital has emerged as a prime target for cybercriminals, with residents losing more than ₹1,450 crore to online fraud between 2014 and mid-2025. The startling data was presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, citing Delhi Police records.
According to official figures, cases of cyber financial fraud have witnessed an alarming surge, rising nearly eightfold in 11 years. In 2014, Delhi recorded just 226 cases involving a loss of ₹2.63 crore. By 2024, the number had ballooned to 1,591 cases, with financial damages exceeding ₹817 crore in that year alone.
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A Growing Financial Threat
While the Crime in India 2022 report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows Delhi’s cybercrime rate at 3.2 cases per lakh population, lower than states like Telangana and Karnataka, the per-case financial loss in Delhi remains exceptionally high.
Experts point to sophisticated phishing scams, investment frauds, and e-commerce payment frauds as the most damaging. High-value cases often involve international syndicates, making investigation and recovery challenging. Law enforcement agencies have also observed a shift from small-scale individual fraud to large-scale, coordinated attacks targeting businesses, high-net-worth individuals, and even public sector institutions.
Government Measures and Persistent Challenges
Minister Rai informed Parliament that the government has introduced multiple initiatives to strengthen the cybercrime response framework. These include the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System.
Additionally, a National Cyber Forensic Laboratory has been set up, alongside specialized training programs for law enforcement. Under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) scheme, states and union territories have received financial assistance to establish forensic labs, appoint junior cyber consultants, and train police, prosecutors, and judicial officers.
In Delhi, district-level cyber police stations have been operational in all 15 districts since 2022, with a dedicated Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit and women’s help desks in every police station. Despite these measures, authorities acknowledge ongoing structural gaps as cybercriminals continue to adapt with evolving digital tactics.