new delhi: As per latest data available with the Delhi Police, the city police has registered more than 16,900 cyber complaints from August last year to May this year and of these, 712 have been converted into FIRs while 157 complaints were rejected for want of prima facie evidence. Sources said that till last week of May, as many as 8,964 complaints were under process, 5,919 complaints were closed and 781 were pending. "In 279 complaints, no action was taken whereas 155 complaints were withdrawn," the data shows. An investigator from one of the districts cyber cells said that in cyber complaints like fraud money transfers, they conduct an inquiry and only after proper verification, they register a case. "In a few cases of cyberbullying we verify the facts provided by the complainant and then register a case," the official said. According to police, in cases of crimes against women, they immediately register an FIR and start their probe. The official further said that if the complainant is unable to provide the information asked by investigators then the case is closed or rejected. Another official told Millennium Post that there were various kinds of modus operandi used by cybercriminals to dupe people. "There were complaints in which fraudsters sent emails and tried to extort money from complainants by claiming that they had some private videos of the complainant," the official said, adding that there were also complaints of stalking and bullying. Police also received complaints in which fake or multiple social media profiles were created by cheaters to dupe people. There were also complaints regarding several fake websites that were offering home delivery of liquor. Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the case of Bois Locker Room hit the headlines and the investigation had revealed that a group of South Delhi teens (mostly schoolboys) had created an Instagram group chat called Bois Locker Room to share photos of underage girls. The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) had also issued an advisory to ensure the safety of children online during the lockdown. In May, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava had directed senior officers to take required action on complaints related to cybercrime. "A social media cell should be constituted to monitor and act upon the inputs received through social media round the clock so that we can provide assistance to the needy people promptly. Also, expedite the implementation of online morning diaries for all GOs," he had said at the time.

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