India Pitches Its Cybersecurity Capabilities to Visiting Foreign Journalists

As cybercrime cases continue to rise sharply across India, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) recently hosted a cybersecurity familiarisation workshop for a visiting delegation of over 40 foreign journalists from Central Asia, Europe and North America. The journalists are on a familiarisation visit to India organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), with the interaction aimed at showcasing India’s cybersecurity framework, its growing digital defence capabilities, and its approach to emerging threats such as Artificial Intelligence-driven cyberattacks.

The session, chaired by CERT-In Director General Dr Sanjay Bahl, focused on India’s preparedness in cyber threat detection, incident response, crisis management, vulnerability assessment, and international cooperation. CERT-In officials highlighted the organisation’s role in issuing advisories, conducting cyber drills, building public–private partnerships, and strengthening capacity through specialised training programmes. The emphasis remained on technical preparedness and strategic response rather than on criminal investigation.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), cybercrime cases in India have nearly doubled over the past five years, increasing from about 44,700 cases in 2019 to more than 86,000 cases in 2023. Online financial frauds, phishing, identity theft and digital payment scams account for a significant share of these cases, reflecting the rapid expansion of digital services and online transactions across the country.

Despite the sharp rise in reported cases, NCRB data shows that the charge-sheeting rate in cybercrime cases has consistently remained below 20 per cent. This means that only a small proportion of registered cases progress to prosecution within a year. Law-enforcement officials attribute this to the complex and often cross-border nature of cyber offences, the use of anonymous digital identities, mule accounts spread across multiple states, and the rapid laundering of funds through layered banking and digital payment systems.

Cybercrime enforcement in India operates through a multi-layered structure rather than a single centralised force. At the national level, the Ministry of Home Affairs oversees law enforcement, while the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) functions as the nodal body for intelligence sharing, training, and coordination of responses to cyber-enabled financial frauds. CERT-In, which functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is responsible for technical incident response and mitigation, not criminal investigation.

At the state and district levels, cybercrime cases are handled by cybercrime police stations, cyber cells within district police units, and state-level cyber wings. District cyber teams are often small and manage cases alongside other policing responsibilities, while state units and special investigation teams take up inter-district or large-scale fraud cases. Manpower constraints, limited cyber forensic infrastructure at the district level, and jurisdictional challenges continue to slow investigations.

In recent years, authorities have increasingly prioritised rapid damage control over prosecution alone. Through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the 1930 helpline, victims can report cyber fraud quickly, enabling I4C to coordinate with banks and digital payment platforms to freeze accounts and prevent further fund movement. While this mechanism has improved financial loss prevention, it has not resulted in a proportional increase in arrests or convictions.

During the interaction with the foreign journalists, officials also highlighted India’s emergence as a global cybersecurity hub, driven by more than 400 startups and a skilled workforce of over 6.5 lakh professionals supporting a $20 billion cybersecurity industry. The growing role of Artificial Intelligence in both strengthening cyber defence and enabling new forms of attacks was discussed, along with CERT-In’s efforts to deploy AI-driven analytics and automation for real-time threat detection.

The journalists were further briefed on India’s international collaborations in cybersecurity, including joint drills and risk analysis exercises with global partners such as France. Officials emphasised India’s participation in international cyber forums and its commitment to building trust in AI and digital systems through a risk-based approach.

Notably, the workshop did not delve into the operational details of cybercrime investigation, such as police manpower strength, detective team deployment, or prosecution challenges. These areas fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs and state police forces and were outside CERT-In’s mandate. The engagement was framed as a strategic and diplomatic outreach rather than a law-enforcement briefing.

The involvement of the Ministry of External Affairs underlined the diplomatic dimension of the interaction. By engaging over 40 foreign journalists, India sought to project confidence in its cybersecurity capabilities, build international trust in its digital ecosystem, and shape global narratives around its cyber resilience at a time when cyber threats are increasingly linked to economic stability and national security.

While India’s technical preparedness and international cooperation in cybersecurity continue to expand, the growing volume of cybercrime cases remains a significant challenge for law enforcement on the ground. The widening gap between cyber incident mitigation and criminal prosecution highlights the complex realities of policing crime in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.