According to data shared by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) at a press conference held on the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, cyber fraud losses in India have crossed Rs 520 billion over the past five years. The disclosure underlines the scale of digital financial crime in a country with over 900 million internet users and comes as authorities intensify efforts to coordinate responses across the telecom, financial and law enforcement ecosystems.
India’s cyber security framework has been progressively strengthened through legislative and regulatory updates, including the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024. The deputy director general (Administration), Mumbai LSA, said that technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are now being actively deployed for fraud detection, network monitoring and system security. Officials emphasised that tackling cyber fraud requires coordinated action across telecom operators, financial institutions and enforcement agencies, reflecting the cross-sectoral nature of the threat.
On the operational front, the Sanchar Saathi platform has recorded over 170 million app downloads and more than 230 million visits, enabling users to block lost mobile phones and report suspected fraud. Nearly 1 million devices have been blocked or traced through the platform. Authorities have disconnected 34 million suspicious mobile numbers, blocked over 227,000 fraudulent devices and deactivated around 1.6 million WhatsApp accounts linked to cyber fraud. A Digital Intelligence Platform connecting more than 1,200 organisations, including banks and law enforcement agencies, has helped freeze over 5.9 million suspicious bank accounts, preventing estimated losses of more than Rs 10 billion.
Beyond cyber security, officials highlighted broader telecom expansion initiatives, including improved rural connectivity, the deployment of solar-powered mobile towers and the establishment of over 100 5G laboratories in engineering colleges to support research and skill development.
