States » SouthPosted at: Oct 4 2026 10:42PM


Hyd: Cybercrimes against children rise 46 pc, need dedicated cyber police stations in every Dist: Justice Dept Secy

Hyderabad, Oct 4 (UNI) Department of Justice Secretary Niraj Verma on Sunday called for strengthening India's institutional and legal framework to tackle cybercrimes against children, including establishing at least one dedicated cyber police station in every district and creating a unified national mechanism for handling such cases.
Addressing a session on the concluding day of the two-day NALSA South Zone Regional Conference here,Verma said data from the NCRB's Crime in India 2024 report showed that while overall crime in the country had declined by 10.8 per cent, crimes registered against children had increased by 46 per cent.
He said 89 per cent of cybercrimes against children involved Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), while 96.6 per cent of offenders prosecuted under the POCSO Act were known to the victim.
Verma said five states -- Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh -- accounted for more than 66.4 per cent of registered cybercrimes against children and also housed around 67 per cent of the specialised cyber police stations in the country.
Against 800 administrative districts, India currently has 441 functional cyber police stations, he said, stressing the need for at least one dedicated cyber police station in every district.
He said data under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act indicated that 98 per cent of victimised children were girls, with those aged between 16 and 18 years constituting 53 per cent of the victims.
Verma also cautioned against the emerging threat posed by AI-generated and deepfake synthetic CSAM, saying existing criminal statutes did not adequately address morphed sexualised imagery involving no physical child.
He said the rapid expansion of digital connectivity and the anticipated arrival of 6G technology would create new challenges, including hyper-immersive augmented and virtual reality environments and real-time synthetic media.
Pointing to institutional gaps, Verma said portals and agencies including the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, CERT-In, Child Welfare Committees and State Cyber Crime Cells were functioning in separate systems rather than through an integrated case-management mechanism.
He also highlighted challenges in cross-border investigations, including delays in Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties, encryption-related difficulties and limitations in the existing legal framework governing intermediary responsibilities.
Verma called for dedicated cyber investigation and prosecution cadres and clearer statutory provisions relating to cyberbullying, sextortion and cyber offences beyond CSAM.
He referred to regulatory practices in countries such as Australia, the UK and the US and proposed five legislative principles -- technology-neutral laws, agile delegated rule-making, affirmative obligations on platforms, dedicated enforcement cadres and streamlined cross-border evidentiary procedures.
He also proposed three institutional measures under NALSA: creation of a unified national portal integrating existing systems through APIs, a consolidated NALSA helpline and live monitoring of child cybercrime cases through the National Judicial Data Grid.
Verma stressed the need for stronger coordination among law enforcement agencies, legal services institutions, technology platforms and other stakeholders to protect children from emerging cyber threats.
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