Cyber 'Super' Cop Balsing Rajput's vision for eradicating cybercrime from the country has made Mumbai Police leading cybercrime investigators
New Delhi, March 28
The Maharashtra cybercrime officer Dr. Balsing Rajput is the backbone of cyber security in Maharashtra Police. Posted as DCP (Preventive) in Mumbai Crime Branch, Balsing Rajput has been a torchbearer of prevention of cybercrime in Maharashtra.
An SPS officer of the 2005 batch, DCP Balsing Rajput has led key cybercrime operations in Maharashtra Police.
"Operation Blackface" was started to eliminate Online Child Pornography. The operation was successful and for the first time in India more than 150 criminal cases were registered for online child pornography and more than 70 criminals involved in the crime were arrested within a span of 6 months in 2019.
During COVID-19, he initiated campaigns like "Cyber Swachata Campaign" (clean cyberspace campaign) to remove hateful messages, fake news and rumours.
During the campaign more than 600 criminal cases were registered, 300 accused arrested and more than 5000 hateful messages were identified and removed from the internet and social media.
Balsing designed another important campaign "Cyber Safe Woman" at state level to sensitize the women and children for prevention of the online crimes or cybercrimes against them. The campaign reached more than 300 schools and colleges along with awareness programs.
In an exclusive interview with BW PoliceWorld, DCP Balsing Rajput talks about the work of Maharashtra Police and Mumbai Police on cybercrimes and how the force has a goal to beat cybercrime with professional and scientific investigations.
1) You have been a backbone of building cybercrime labs in Maharashtra. Please tell us more about these labs.
Maharashtra has 49 cybercrime labs, each in one district and Commissionerate’s of Maharashtra Police so each district and Commissionerate has one police station with one cyber lab attached to it. The Mumbai Police has five cyber labs.
The cybercrime labs in Maharashtra are designed to deal with technology related crimes. When hundreds of citizens are gripped with various modes of cybercrimes, there was a need to upgrade the technology in policing too. The cyber labs have provided technical support to the investigator and all police stations since 2016. The main focus of these labs is to analyze the
CDR (call data records), forensic, audio and video analysis. The labs give technical ability to the police for deeper investigation. As the use of social media increased, the labs have started analyzing social media too.
The cyber labs are also doing regular research and analysis of the traits and behaviour used by the criminals to lure citizens and victims into cybercrime. The behavioural analysis is provided by these labs to policemen. These labs are also building capacity and training the Maharashtra Police.
2) The Automated Multimodal Biometric System was introduced by Maharashtra Police. What is this technology used by Maharashtra Police?
Maharashtra conceived this multimodal biometric system. It is the first project in India using an integrated finger/palm print identification, facial recognition, and IRIS matching system for criminal identification. These are identifiers that help us find criminals. The moment a criminal is arrested in any police station his finger prints and other details are taken and fed in this system. Each police station has access to this system so that the data of criminals is handy. The prints of the arrested criminal are immediately matched with the data in the system to help us know if he is a habitual offender or history sheeter or a first time offender.
The project spread across the Maharashtra state in more than 1300 places. This highly technical project was completed in August 2019 within the specified time limit. 150 cases in Maharashtra have been solved with the automated biometric system. We have also established a specialized Maharashtra Cyber Digital Crime Unit (MCDCU) for combating piracy of intellectual property on digital platforms.
3) As a cyber-expert, what is your view on cyber threats to government websites and social media handles?
There is a booming threat on government websites and social media handles and we are seeing many instances of hacking on the same. The government websites are always on the target of the hackers as they are the most authentic platform of information for the citizens. There are state sponsored activities from countries like Pakistan, China, North Korea where there is an attempt to steal government data which can be used to commit crimes later. This is a worrisome subject for all government websites. The cyber experts from the police constantly upgrade the government on the newer methods of cybercrime and preventive tools. The social media handles of government establishments are often targeted to create panic among the people. The hackers try to manipulate information. Therefore the security of the government websites and their social media handles is of utmost importance. The newest and best technology should be used to provide security to such platforms and a regular watch should be ensured by the cyber experts attached with these forums.
4) Are we moving towards cyber warfare and how can a country like India save itself from a situation of cyber warfare?
I would like to give an example from the recent Ukraine-Russia war. It is pertinent to understand that the recent war is a hybrid warfare and definitely involved cyber warfare. As soon as the war started many hashtags and news forums mushroomed from the war zone. Many were trying to create a narrative to spread or seek information when the authenticity of such information was questionable. It is said that once you know an enemy you can win that battle. So information is very critical in that aspect where countries try to seek information through such platforms. Once they get access to important information, they can any day declare a cyber-war. Cyber warfare played a key role in the Russia-Ukraine war. Similarly, for a country like India that has moved towards digitalization, cyber security and prevention should be our top priority. Our key mechanisms of banking, finance, e-commerce, and overseas transactions are all dependent on digital platforms. If that is disrupted by cyber criminals, the entire economy can collapse. There is a threat of cyber warfare in every sector of the government. The foremost and most important step here is to secure our critical platforms.
5) On an average Mumbai records 4000-5000 cybercrime cases annually. Which cases are reported high in numbers and why are these cases increasing?
One of the main reasons for a rise in cases is proactive filing of cases. The cybercrime police in Mumbai are ready 24/7 to aid a citizen who walks into a police station or files a complaint online reporting cybercrime. The citizens here are encouraged to report these crimes and seek help. The cyber cops in Mumbai Police have been trained and sensitized to ensure the complaints are filed and no complaint goes unattended.
As for the cases, the highest number of cases are getting reported on cyber economic crimes- phishing, banking frauds, OTP related frauds, debit/credit/ATM card related frauds where gullible citizens are being targeted by fraudsters every day who dupe and loot their money. The segment of cybercrimes against women and children is the most sensitive subject these days. The cases of sextortion, cyber bullying, stalking are being dealt with every day. The girls and women from smaller districts and even cities are falling prey to a section of men who are faking identities, luring them to talk and later exploit them either by looting money or harassment by morphing their photos, uploading them on pornographic sites and demanding extortion money. In sextortion cases, men are the first targets where they receive calls from cyber criminals in garb of women and lure them into conversation which later result in extortion. The third segment where cases are getting reported in high numbers are technical cybercrime cases of ransomware, data breach and hacking.
Not only the reporting of cases but the detection of the cases are also high in Maharashtra as the cyber police have been thoroughly trained and specialized in their work. The capacity building programmes are regularly conducted for the cyber police. 1000 officers of Maharashtra Police were trained specially in cybercrime and posted in cyber police stations only to deal with these cases which increases their own capacity and detection rates in Maharashtra. The ecosystem of Mumbai and Maharashtra has been built that gives an impetus to higher detection.
6) The Bully Bai and Sully Deals app cases shocked the nation. The rising cases of cyber bullying and harassment of women is a challenge for cyber police. What are the reasons behind an increase in such cases?
Women have become the first and soft targets of cybercriminals. These criminals are targeting women on social media, dating and matrimonial websites and other apps that women use more. The cases of cybercrime against women are sexual cybercrime cases like sexting, sextortion, online trafficking, bullying and threats of social media and economic frauds too. While investigating these cases, we observed that a large section of women are still not used to digital technologies. Most of them are being targeted in smaller districts and in cases of metropolitan cities, those who fell prey to fake identities. The women were found not having complete knowledge of the app or the internet platform they were using. They end up communicating with unknown men and/or criminals who get a window to act. The frauds are getting reported from platforms of Facebook, Instagram, Matrimonial websites where photos and videos of women are stolen and later used for sextortion. They don’t understand the motive of an unknown chat or communicator. For younger girls, the school curriculum should include cybercrime and prevention while for adults, they need to be sensitized regularly by all stakeholders on prevention.
7) In spite of using anti viruses and other tools, the hacking of electronic devices, emails, and social media has been affecting many citizens. What is the solution for this?
The world of cybercrime is huge and evolves every day and so has the world of cybercrime prevention. We have the best scientific tools and technology yet there is no silver bullet that can target all cybercrimes together. Sometimes, the cybercrime is based on technology like hacking and other times is procedural lacunas and thirdly there is human fault where the victim falls into the hands of the perpetrators. The procedural lacunas and technical cybercrimes can be prevented using tools but there is no tool that can solve human stupidity. There is one solution that people need to seek is that of prevention. The citizens need to consciously stay abreast with the latest cybercrime techniques, preventive measures and they should be sensitized by government, cyber police and all stakeholders to be aware. Awareness is the key.
8) How is Mumbai Police working with the Centre, other police departments and overseas on bringing newer stringent measures for cybercrime?
The Mumbai Police has been in the forefront to conceptualize and share newer techniques for cybercrime. The coordination with other states and overseas is extremely important. The gamut of cybercrime is huge where the criminal sitting in any part of the world could be victimizing a citizen from some small district of the country. The Mumbai Police immediately seeks intervention and cooperation once the accused is identified from other state police and overseas police department if any. We constantly share information and seek information of the criminals to ensure the case doesn’t lag behind. We have developed a strong network with the service providers and many stakeholders.
9) You are a writer and a poet. Your book ‘Cyber Economic Crimes in India and another book ‘Life of a Soul’ are appreciated by the readers. Please tell us more about it.
Being a cybercrime expert and working on this subject for over 15 years now, I felt I should write about the cyber economic crimes in India which is grappling many citizens. The book gives them an insight on the types of crimes and how they can prevent themselves. It highlights the use of technology used by police. Right from individuals to corporates are falling prey to cyber economic frauds. With the current trend of digitalization, the learning of cyber economic frauds has become more important.
Poetry is my hobby and I love to write. It gives me peace and happiness when I write couplets. The book ‘Life of a Soul’ is about how a human should see another human as a soul and how one should treat another in this process or journey of life. The book talks about how we can achieve personal, professional and spiritual growth in this life.
Balsing Rajput has served as Superintendent of Police, Cyber, Maharashtra Cyber, DCP Economic offenses wing and Zone 11 at Mumbai city, DCP Crime and also in Solapur city.
He is involved in capacity building efforts for cyber security and cybercrime Investigation for Maharashtra Police and has conducted several training courses on scientific investigation, cybercrime investigation, mobile and computer forensics, gender sensitization, and investigation of crime against women and children through CCPWC lab.
Balsing was a Cyber Security Delegation of India to Israel in 2016 and Estonia in 2019 to study the e-government initiatives and cyber security measures. He was also a part of the International Visiting Leadership Program Fellow of USA for Cyber Security in 2019.
He is also a State Nodal Officer for Social Media Analysis unit of the Election commission for Maharashtra State, Assembly and Parliamentary Elections.
An engineer by education with a B. Tech and M. Tech (Agriculture Engineering) from Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri, Maharashtra, he is a Doctorate (Ph.D.) from Tata Institute Of Social Sciences, Mumbai in Cyber Economic Crimes in 2018
Balsing has unearthed multiple scams and investigated many sensitive cases. He has also served in the Anti-Extremist/Naxal Operations and communal riot sensitive areas and stabilized communal harmony with citizen friendly community policing initiatives.
The anti-piracy software solutions and practices developed by Maharashtra Cyber team of Digital Crime Unit received “IP Champions Award” of USA Chamber of Commerce.
