India received nearly 54 lakh cybercrime complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal from 2019 to 2024 but only around 1.30 lakh of these complaints resulted in the registration of FIR. That is roughly 2.4 per cent of the total complaints received during the six-year period (a parliamentary committee found).
The data have brought attention to the gap between cybercrime complaints and cases formally registered by police. The data were highlighted in a report by the Rajya Sabha's Standing Committee on Home Affairs which discussed cybercrime reporting, investigation and the availability of crime data.
According to the numbers for the period reported here, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal received over 53.93 lakh complaints between 2019 and 2024. During the same period, about 1.30 lakh FIRs were registered. The numbers reveal a significant difference between complaints submitted through the national reporting system and cases that actually entered the formal FIR process.
Cybercrime Complaints Rise Sharply
The number of complaints increased dramatically over the six years. In 2019 the portal was recording around 26,049 complaints. This was up to 2,55,745 in 2020 and 4,52,429 in 2021. Complaints were recorded at over 10 lakh in 2022, with around 10,29,026 complaints.
The trend continued in 2023 with 15,96,488 complaints, and 20,33,316 complaints in 2024. Together, these amounts represent nearly 53.93 lakh complaints over the six-year period.
The increase is a consequence of increased cyber-related fraud and other online offences as digital payments (smartphones) and internet-based services have spread to every region in India. Cybercriminals have increasingly exploited phishing, impersonation, financial fraud and other forms of online deception to target users.
FIR Registration Still an Important Concern
The committee’s findings have brought the difference between complaints and FIRs into focus. In 2019, 26,049 complaints were recorded while 1,032 FIRs were registered. There were 2,55,745 complaints and 4,999 FIRs in 2020.
The number of FIRs increased in the next years but was still significantly lower than the number of complaints. There were 11,304 FIRs in 2021 against 4,52,429 complaints, and 21,379 FIRs against 10,29,026 complaints in 2022. In 2023, about 42,130 FIRs were registered against 15,96,488 complaints. In 2024 it was approximately 49,582 FIRs and 20,33,316 complaints.
The figures should be interpreted carefully because a complaint made through the national portal does not automatically mean that an FIR must be registered in every instance. Complaints can require verification, jurisdictional assessment or further investigation before police make the decision as to whether or not the complaints must be taken to court.
Committee Flags Data And Reporting Gaps
Nevertheless, the parliamentary panel has raised concerns about data collection and follow-up on cybercrime and the way cybercrime is reported and recorded. At the same time, problems with the cybercrime portal and the 1930 cybercrime helpline remain a concern, said reports of the committee’s findings.
The committee also discussed problems in the availability and timeliness of crime statistics. Delays in receiving such data from states can make it harder for policymakers to get a current picture of cybercrime and to plan resources accordingly.
Another issue noted in the report of the committee’s findings relates to the classification of crimes in official statistics. For some crime statistics, the National Crime Records Bureau uses a principal offence approach as a framework for some crime statistics, where when multiple offences occur in one crime and others are not separately reported from one crime, the main offence might be counted as the principal offence while other crimes are not displayed separately in the headline crime figures. That can influence the overall size and scale of cyber-related crimes in the picture in the official data.
Need for a Much Faster Response to Cybercrime
The findings come as India is expanding its systems for reporting and responding to cyber fraud. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal allows citizens to report cybercrime incidents online, while the 1930 helpline is used particularly for reporting financial cyber fraud.
The Union government’s wider response has been to identify fraudulent mobile connections, block devices linked to cybercrime and freeze bank accounts associated with suspected fraud. According to the Department of Telecommunications, millions of mobile connections identified as fraudulent or involved in cybercrime had been disconnected.
For victims, however, reporting an incident is only the first step. The effectiveness of the response also depends on how quickly complaints are assessed, money is traced or frozen in financial fraud cases, evidence is collected and appropriate legal proceedings are initiated.
And the new figures highlight two simultaneous developments: a rapid increase in cybercrime complaints and the perennial challenge of turning reports into timely probes and formal criminal charges. The parliamentary committee's observations put renewed focus on the need for better data collection, inter-agency coordination and follow-up mechanisms to better reflect the scale and nature of online crime in India.
