Maharashtra Govt Announces Dedicated Helpline Amid Rising Cyber Crimes, DCM Fadnavis Inaugurates Command Centre In Navi Mumbai

Mumbai: To tackle the rising online crimes in Maharashtra, Dy CM Decendra Fadnavis on Friday inaugurated DCM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurates 'MahaCyber'- the Maharashtra Cyber Security Project at Mahape, Navi Mumbai. Fadnavis also inspected the operations of the command centre equipped with advanced technology to address the rising threat of cyber crimes.

Apart from the launch, a dedicated helpline of the cybercrime command centre – 14407 – was announced. The centre is scheduled to start functioning at full capacity from October 15.

It will be India's first state-level cyber crime command and control centre, having multiple channels of cyber crime reporting. To secure Maharashtra's digital future through advanced online security, 5000 police personnel will be trained annually under the Maha Cyber Security project.

It was In December 2023, Dy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis had spoken about a dynamic integrated platform taking several agencies on board to tackle the alarmingly rising cyber crimes in the state.

During the launch of the command centre in Navi Mumbai on Friday, Fadnavis said that the Maha Cyber Security project is undertaken to tackle the growing number of fraudulent schemes on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and other digital platforms.

As per reports, Maharashtra cyber cell received around 1,000 calls of cyber crimes on a daily basis and from the year 2023 there has been a sharp rise of 94 per cent in cyber fraud cases.

In Maharashtra, Navi Mumbai in particular has reported a high number of cyber crimes and Maharashtra's first cyber cell was also established in Nerul. The Navi Mumbai police had also started a 'Cyber Warrior' initiative in 2023.