West Bengal has bucked a national trend in cyber crime registrations over three years — recording a steady decline even as the rest of the country saw a rise.

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, published in the first week of October this year, registered cyber crime cases in West Bengal fell from 513 in 2021 to 401 in 2022, and further down to 309 in 2023. This contrasts sharply with the national figures, which rose from 52,430 in 2021 to 64,907 in 2022 and then to 85,603 in 2023.

Despite its large population, West Bengal remains among the states with the lowest cyber crime rates. The 513 cases registered in 2021 accounted for less than 1% of the total cases in India that year (86,420). In comparison, Karnataka (21,889 cases in 2023) and Telangana (18,236) reported far higher volumes.

NCRB data also shows particularly low counts for critical fraud-related offences in 2021 — only 61 cases under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, fewer than smaller states such as Goa (75) and Assam (847). Cases of Identity Theft (Section 66C) and Tampering with Computer Source Documents (Section 65) numbered just 5 and 1 respectively, which are fractions of what is seen in many other states where such sections dominate the cyber crime profile.

Kolkata has also shown relatively high prosecutorial efficiency. The chargesheet rate for cyber crimes stands at about 80.7%, which is significantly higher than many other regions. However, there remains another challenge — 1,457 cases are pending trial from previous years, while 296 were sent for trial in the latest reporting year. The state has a dedicated Public Prosecutor for cyber law and electronic evidence cases.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Special Public Prosecutor in Cyber Laws and Electronic Evidence cases Bivas Chatterjee, said, “The first conviction in a digital arrest was in Bengal. The state has secured conviction in different types of cyber crime. The cyber wing is also on their toes. Many cases are disposed of at a very early stage. Even conviction is higher in our state when it comes to cyber crime.”

A cyber expert and advocate noted that “under-reporting and reluctance to lodge FIRs in some categories (especially fraud, identity theft, sextortion) may still persist.”

“That could also be a reason why cases are fewer in the state. Despite improvements, the numbers for some high-impact fraud categories are extremely low, suggesting either under-detection or under-reporting. More outreach and citizen awareness may help,” said the expert. He added, “The police recorded crime data under the IT Act is disproportionately low for a state of its size, especially in categories like online fraud (Section 66D) and identity theft (Section 66C), which are the national drivers of cyber crime. Cases pending trial from previous years are 1,457, and cases sent for trial during the year are 296.”

In recent years, West Bengal has significantly expanded its cyber crime policing infrastructure and streamlined administrative oversight. The state now has 34 Cyber Crime police stations (Cyber PS) functioning under respective Police Commissionerates or Superintendents, along with one Cyber PS under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for areas outside Kolkata.

These 34 stations were formally brought under the newly constituted West Bengal Cyber Crime Wing (WB-CCW) as per a notification dated October 17, 2023. The WB-CCW now supervises all such units while integrating existing specialised bodies like the Cyber Patrol Cell and Cyber Crime Cell, along with associated labs.

The state has also created 188 positions, including both permanent and IT-specialist roles, under the WB-CCW, with many posts transferred from the CID and other departments to centralise cyber policing capabilities.

Every police district in West Bengal has at least one Cyber Crime police station. At the local station level, officers are also being trained to handle cyber fraud complaints and assist citizens in filing cases and conducting preliminary investigations, officials said.