Cyber Crime Investigation Unit: Everything you Need to Know

Since the pandemic, everything went digital from schooling to making payments. Digital users! Yes, the number of digital users in India is also increasing at a rapid pace. As a result, people are facing different kinds of cyberattacks. It is not wrong to say that India is now becoming a hub for cybercriminals. Name a cyberattack, from phishing, cyberbullying to identity theft, cyber espionage, etc. and it might be happening somewhere in the country. And the graph of such attacks is not going down. The police are doing their job to investigate cybercrimes. But somehow the result is not satisfying. Is this happening because of not having a properly planned Cyber Crime Investigation Unit?

Before finding the answer let’s understand the significance of cyber crime investigation.

What is Cyber Crime Investigation?

As cyber crime investigation deals with cyberattacks, it is quite different from physical investigation. The evidence collected in this investigation is digital.

It is a process of finding digital evidence of a crime. And the process includes investigating, analyzing, recovering forensics data from the digital device that was used by the criminal to commit the crime. The device could be a computer, laptop, cell phone, hard disk, USB, networked device, Bluetooth device, etc.

However, you may want to know who has the authority to investigate the case of a cybercrime?

Let’s discuss this in detail.

Who Investigates Cyber Crime? 

There are a few organizations that are bestowed with the power to investigate cybercrime. Such as: 

• The Police

According to section 78 of the IT Act, any police officer not below the rank of Inspector can investigate a cybercrime. Educating, monitoring, and investigating cybercrime is a part of their duty.

• Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Agencies

A network of agencies including law enforcement and the judiciary form the criminal justice system.

Also, law enforcement involves police officers, agents, investigators who are responsible for gathering evidence, arresting the suspect, and charging the suspect.

Secondly, the lawyers, part of the judiciary present their evidence collected against the culprit. The outcome of the case depends on the lawyers, Judge, Juries.

• Private Firms

As many reputed organizations are likely to suffer from cyber-espionage attacks, they hire a trusted private firm that specializes in preventing such attacks.

Apart from the above three entities, National Security Agency also monitors the malicious cyber-activities, saves the economy and dignity of the country.

However, the necessity of tackling the alarming rate of cyberattacks is crucial. Hence it rises the need for a Cyber Crime Investigation Unit.

Role of Cyber Crime Investigation Unit

It is hard to believe that most of the states in India don’t have cyber crime investigation cells. Following a standard operating procedure plays a key role while investigating a cybercrime.

If an investigating officer proceeds with the case in a structured manner then a lot of time could be saved.

The cyber crime investigation unit follows below steps:

• Investigation: To carry out the investigation, the skilled officers make use of certain tools to succeed in solving the case.
• Process of search: When they receive a complaint, the investigation cell starts with searching and seizing the digital devices. Then try to preserve the intangible data with the help of IT experts.
• Arrest: Once they find the evidence, the next step is to generate an arrest warrant against the suspect.

By keeping the rising cyberattacks in mind, now is the time that demands setting up a cyber crime investigation unit in every state across the country. 

The Cyber Expert of India through his experience suggests that a solid cyber crime investigation unit can combat cybercrimes.

How to Set up an Effective Cyber Crime Investigation Unit?

To make a meaningful impact on cybercrime, setting up a state-of-art investigation unit is essential. Without this, the police forces may stay in a state of confusion and uncertainty.

Here are a few things that Anuraag considers while setting up an investigating unit.

• Before setting up an investigation unit the objective of doing the same should be clear. Because different needs require different setups. For example, if the unit needs to report a case to the court of law then its setup will be different from an intelligence unit setup. Hence before moving forward with setting up a cyber crime investigation unit his vision is always clear.
• When planning on establishing an investigation unit he takes care of the capital as well as operational costs. Capital cost covers the infrastructure and equipment costs. You can say it is a one-time investment. Secondly, an operational cost includes various factors. Such as building rental, cyber consultant pay, license agreement fees, office equipment, training cost of staff, forensic gadgets, etc.
• If you have trained people, a structured process, and the right technology with you then half of your job is done. So he has the right sources that are people, process, and technology (PPT).
• Finally, there are small things to consider before moving forward or all your efforts could go in vain. Hence choosing the right tools for the cyber crime investigation unit is essential and the skilled partner can help you choose the right tools. 

If you are a victim of cyber crime and want to know ‘How do I report the cyber crime online in India?’, or ‘How do I contact cybercrime in India?’ Then you should contact the National Helpline for Cyber Frauds at 155260 or report the incident online at https://cybercrime.gov.in/.https://cybercrime.gov.in/