India is confronting an extraordinary surge in cybercrime, with new government data showing steep financial losses and an unprecedented rise in reported cases. As digital fraud spreads from large cities to small towns, lawmakers are pressing for answers on whether the country’s defenses can keep pace with a threat expanding far faster than anticipated
A Rapid Escalation in Online Fraud
Cybercriminals across India siphoned off tens of thousands of crores of rupees from ordinary citizens over the past three years, according to government figures presented in Parliament. The losses, officials said, reveal not only the scale of financial damage but also the widening reach of online fraud in a country undergoing rapid digitalization.
In 2022, citizens reported financial losses amounting to ₹2,290.24 crore due to cyber fraud. The number jumped more than threefold the following year, reaching ₹7,465.18 crore in 2023. In 2024, the reported losses escalated dramatically again to ₹22,845.73 crore a near tripling from the previous year.
The figures, disclosed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, underline an alarming trend: as digital transactions increase, so too does the sophistication and volume of cybercrime targeting India’s fast-growing online population.
A Surge in Complaints Across the NCRP Portal
The government also cited data from the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the country’s principal online mechanism for registering cybercrime complaints. The portal recorded 452,429 cases in 2021, a number that more than doubled to 1,029,026 in 2022 — marking a 127 percent increase within a year.
The upward trajectory continued. In 2023, the portal registered 1,596,491 cases, representing a 55 percent rise from 2022. By 2024, the numbers expanded to 2,268,346 complaints, a jump of over 42 percent from the previous year.
Officials noted that while the NCRP’s growing visibility may partially explain the spike, the pattern also reflects an evolving criminal ecosystem — one that leverages digital payment platforms, social media impersonation, and engineered psychological traps to deceive victims at scale.
Expanding Geography of Cybercrime
Cybercrime was once considered a problem concentrated in urban centers. But lawmakers say the crisis now touches nearly every corner of the country. Rising smartphone penetration and low-cost mobile data have made millions of new users vulnerable to sophisticated scams, from fraudulent investment schemes to remote access attacks.
During a session of the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar reported that cyber fraud has become “a year-on-year phenomenon,” with new tactics emerging as quickly as authorities attempt to counter them. The 2024 financial losses attributed to cyber fraud more than ₹22,000 crore represent not only the magnitude of the problem but the aggressiveness with which criminals are now pursuing victims.
Experts warn that many cases remain unreported, particularly in rural areas where digital literacy is lower and banking access is limited. The official figures, they say, may be only a partial representation of the country’s vulnerability.
Parliament Demands Answers as Law Enforcement Struggles
The steep rise in cybercrime has prompted scrutiny from members of Parliament, who pressed the Home Ministry for detailed accounts of arrests, case resolutions and unaddressed complaints. Ajay Kumar Mandal of the Janata Dal (United) sought clarity on how many cases registered on the NCRP had been resolved in the past three years and how many remained pending.
While the government has emphasized its investment in cyber forensics, training and inter-agency coordination, officials acknowledge that the speed of technological change has outpaced enforcement capacity. State-level cyber units are often unevenly equipped, and investigations frequently span jurisdictions or cross national borders complicating prosecution efforts
