Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday warned that India’s data is being stolen and sold to hostile forces, and said the government is taking strong steps to curb such activities as cyber threats rise with the country’s expanding digital ecosystem.

Speaking at the national conference on ‘Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds & Dismantling the Ecosystem’ in New Delhi, Shah said cybersecurity has become a critical concern as digital transactions and UPI-based payments have become part of daily life. He said the Home Ministry took an early stand against cybercrime and focused on building cyber awareness among citizens.

Shah said cybersecurity has improved significantly under the Modi government in recent years. “Our country’s data is being stolen and sold to our enemies, and we are making efforts to stop it," he said. He added that progress has been made in tackling crime, strengthening the criminal justice system, and recovering money lost to cyber fraud.

Emphasising the need for tighter safeguards, Shah said the focus should now be on reducing “leakage from all sides". He stressed the importance of real-time reporting of cybercrime, cyber awareness and cyber hygiene to ensure public safety and data security. According to him, a strong and secure system involving all agencies is necessary to effectively prevent cybercrime.

The Home Minister also highlighted the role of I-Force, set up by the Government of India, saying it has performed well in improving coordination among agencies. “Now the time has come to take I-Force a step further," he said, noting that several institutions are working together on the initiative.

Shah said agencies such as the Reserve Bank of India, the National Investigation Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation are working jointly to tackle cybercrime. He added that the conference would help align government efforts and strengthen coordination to deal more effectively with cyber-enabled frauds.

Increase of cybercrime in recent years 

India has seen a sharp rise in cybercrime in recent years as more people use digital services and mobile payments. According to government records, the number of cybercrime cases registered nationwide climbed from around 52,000 in 2021 to over 86,000 in 2023, marking a jump of about 31%  in just one year. 

Fraud remains the biggest part of these cases, accounting for nearly seven out of every ten incidents, with sexual exploitation and extortion making up smaller shares. States such as Karnataka, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh have reported the highest numbers of offences, and Bengaluru alone accounted for a large portion of the cases in 2023. Beyond the number of cases, the financial impact has also grown, with reporting systems logging millions of fraud complaints and losses amounting to tens of thousands of crores of rupees in recent years.