Cybercrimes against women surge in 2025, cases jump by over 28,000

Cybercrime incidents targeting women recorded a sharp rise in 2025, with over 76,650 complaints registered , an increase of more than 28,000 cases compared to the previous year, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the complaints were lodged through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and included offences such as online abuse, cyberstalking, dissemination of obscene content, and circulation of child sexual abuse material.

According to official data, 76,657 cybercrime incidents against women were reported in 2025, compared to 48,335 in 2024. The figures indicate a fluctuating yet overall rising trend over the past five years, with 52,048 cases recorded in 2021, 62,224 in 2022, and 40,066 in 2023.

The minister noted that complaints related to sexually obscene material constituted the largest share in 2025 at 37,743 cases, followed by sexually explicit acts at 19,703. Cases involving rape or gang rape-related abusive content stood at 8,780, while child sexual abuse material accounted for 10,431 complaints.

Incidents categorised under online and social media-related crimes also showed a steady increase, reaching 1,73,766 in 2025, up from 72,301 in 2021. Among these, cyberbullying, stalking and sexting accounted for 45,832 cases, while fake or impersonation profiles were reported in 46,784 instances. Identity theft and profile hacking made up 34,533 complaints, and cheating by impersonation accounted for 23,252 cases.

Other cyber offences reported during the year included online job fraud (11,126 cases), provocative speech for unlawful acts (7,595), e-mail phishing (2,240), impersonating e-mails (754), intimidating e-mails (522), and online matrimonial fraud (1,128).

The government reiterated that ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are state subjects under the Constitution, placing the primary responsibility for prevention, detection and investigation of such crimes on states and Union Territories. However, it said the Centre continues to support these efforts through financial assistance, advisories and capacity-building initiatives.

Measures undertaken include the allocation of ₹132.93 crore under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children scheme, establishment of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, and commissioning of cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories across 33 states and Union Territories. More than 24,600 personnel, including law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judicial officers, have been trained in cybercrime investigation and awareness.

The data underscores a growing digital threat landscape for women, even as authorities expand institutional mechanisms to strengthen cyber safety and response systems.