Delhi Police Introduces New Guidelines for Cyber Fraud e-FIRs

The Delhi Police has rolled out comprehensive guidelines for handling e-FIRs in cyber financial fraud cases involving transactions exceeding Rs 1 lakh.

Introduced under the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) initiative, these guidelines take effect from November 1, streamlining steps for police officers to manage cyber fraud cases efficiently.

The new protocol lowers the threshold for automatic e-FIR generation from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 lakh and mandates quicker registration and investigative procedures to enhance response times.

Under the updated system, complaints filed via the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System portal or the 1930 helpline will automatically generate e-FIRs. This initiative facilitates filing complaints across jurisdictions at any Delhi police station.

Depending on the fraudulent amount, e-FIR cases will be directed to the appropriate police unit, with cases up to Rs 25 lakh going to District Cybercrime Stations, Rs 25-50 lakh to the Crime Branch Cyber Cell, and above Rs 50 lakh to the Special Cell’s IFSO Unit.

The circular requires officers to take immediate actions post-e-FIR generation, like account freezing and gathering digital evidence, even before securing a complainant's signature.

Complainants are then prompted to sign the e-FIR at a police station within 72 hours, as required under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

Additionally, the guidelines clarify that citizen-filed 'Series-2 complaints' on the cybercrime.gov.in platform won't be automatically converted into e-FIRs. These cases will undergo verification before regular FIR registration.

This framework aims to improve the efficiency and uniformity of police responses to cyber fraud cases throughout the capital.