4,179 Cyber Complaints, ₹35.31 Crore Lost: Bhopal’s e-Zero FIR System Faces Pressure

Bhopal residents lost more than ₹35.31 crore to cyber fraud in the first nine months of 2026, with police receiving 4,179 complaints between January 1 and September 30, even as officials acknowledged delays and gaps in converting complaints into e-Zero FIRs.

During the same period, the state cybercrime headquarters forwarded 962 e-Zero FIRs, of which 943 were registered as regular FIRs at police stations across Bhopal. Senior officers said the number of complaints remained significantly higher than the number of FIRs formally registered.

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e-Zero FIR Threshold Cut to ₹25,000

Senior cybercrime officials said the threshold for registering e-Zero FIRs, which earlier applied to cyber frauds involving ₹1 lakh or more, has now been reduced to ₹25,000.

When victims call the national cybercrime helpline 1930, their calls are automatically redirected to Dial-112, where they are issued a token number. Basic details, including the complainant’s name and mobile number, are then forwarded to the state cybercrime headquarters.

Officials said many victims mistakenly assume that the token number itself is an e-Zero FIR number, although it only marks the beginning of the registration process.

Five teams have been formed to call victims back and collect the information needed to register e-Zero FIRs. Two teams are based in Bhopal, one in Indore and two in Gwalior.

The state cybercrime headquarters receives between 1,500 and 1,600 complaints every day, officials said. Collecting details from one victim in the prescribed format can take between 20 and 30 minutes.

Around 65% of victims now receive a callback on the same day, compared with about 29% earlier. The remaining complainants face delays.

Cybercrime Headquarters Faces Manpower Pressure

A senior police officer said the state cybercrime headquarters in Bhopal has a manpower strength of 255 personnel.

More than 6,000 e-Zero FIRs had been registered at the headquarters by August 31 since the system was launched on December 25, 2025.

SP State Cyber-Crime Headquarters Pranay Nagvanshi advised victims to report cyber fraud immediately through the 1930 helpline. If the call does not connect, he said victims can submit their complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

Nagvanshi said victims should provide full details of the complaint and the transactions involved so that the e-Zero FIR can be registered as early as possible.

Bhopal Police Commissionerate has also deployed specially trained cyber personnel across 37 police stations to speed up investigations and provide quicker relief.

Cyber help desks have been divided into three categories based on complaint volumes. Twelve police stations with more than 500 cybercrime complaints have been placed in Category A and assigned six cyber cops each.

Another 23 police stations with between 100 and 499 complaints fall under Category B and will have four cyber cops each. Police stations with fewer than 100 complaints, including the Mahila police station and SC/ST police station, are in Category C with two cyber cops each.

₹14.65 Crore Frozen, ₹4.56 Crore Refunded

Police data shows that Bhopal recorded 4,179 cybercrime complaints and 943 FIRs between January 1 and September 30, 2026.

The total amount involved in cyber fraud complaints during the period stood at ₹35.31 crore. Of this, ₹14.65 crore was frozen in bank accounts allegedly used by cybercriminals, while ₹4.56 crore was refunded to complainants.

Police arrested 57 alleged cybercriminals during the period.

For comparison, Bhopal recorded cyber fraud losses of ₹53.42 crore in 2025. That year, ₹15.54 crore was frozen, ₹4.34 crore was refunded and 152 cybercriminals were arrested.

Additional DCP Crime Branch Shailendra Singh Chouhan advised people to remain cautious while responding to calls and messages from unknown numbers and urged victims to report cyber fraud immediately.