Police launch 24x7 cybercrime helpline for assistance with queries related to fraud
Telegraph | 11 February 2026
Kolkata Police on Tuesday launched a cybercrime helpline to assist residents with queries related to cybercrime and guide them on the steps to follow if they fall victim to cyber fraud.
The helpline was inaugurated by Kolkata Police commissioner Supratim Sarkar at the cyber police station inside the city police headquarters in Lalbazar.
The toll-free number, 1800-3450066, will operate round the clock for citizens within the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police.
“There is a golden hour in cybercrime as well. The first one hour after a crime is crucial because fraudsters are most active during this period, and money moves very quickly (from one account to another). We have launched this rapid response unit. If you feel you have been duped, inform us. We will try our best to resolve it and get back your money,” Sarkar said at the launch.
The helpline aims to help residents get answers about cybercrime and understand the procedures to follow after an incident.
A senior officer of Kolkata Police explained: “This is not an alternative to the national cybercrime portal. But our helpline will guide victims through all the necessary steps to be taken if someone is duped.”
Sarkar added that so far, Kolkata Police have been able to recover around 25% of money lost by residents to cyber fraud. “With this initiative, we hope to recover more funds lost in such crimes,” he said.
According to Lalbazar sources, Kolkata Police receive around 1,000-1,200 cybercrime complaints per month, of which roughly 80% involve financial fraud and the remaining 20% involve impersonation or social media abuse.
Tracking unit
Alongside the helpline, the police introduced a Specialised Blocking Cell tasked with monitoring phone numbers, SIM cards, APK files, IP addresses, and URLs used in cyber crimes.
“The primary task of this unit is to track the resources used to commit a cybercrime. Once a complaint is received, we track the resource through which the crime was committed. The next step will be to block it to prevent further crimes,” said an officer of the cyber cell.
Awareness drive
The cybercrime unit also launched a newsletter, Cyber Pass, to raise awareness about cyber crimes and safe online practices.
The launch comes a day after the Supreme Court directed the Centre to draft a standard operating procedure (SOP), in consultation with the RBI, banks and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), to handle digital fraud cases. The SOP will include measures to alert customers about potential fraud if they notice unusual, large-scale transactions, which often occur during digital arrest incidents.