NEW DELHI: Cyber crimes registered under IT Act in 2013 shot up by 72.4%—131—compared to 2012, when only 76 cases were reported. The offences under IPC (forgery/cheating) have increased by 137.5%—19 cases were filed in 2013 in contrast to eight in 2012, according to the data released by National Crime Records Bureau. NCRB ranks Delhi 12th in the country.

The maximum cases—99—are related to hacking, which has been divided into two sections. Under the first section—loss and damage to computer resource and utility—60 cases have been filed. The remaining 39 cases come under “hacking for other purposes”.

The offence categorized as obscene publication/transmission in electronic form has 20 cases under it.

Two cases of fake digital signatures were registered for the first time in 2013, while 10 cases involved breach of privacy. Most cyber offences had harassment, teasing and fraud as the motive. There were nine cases where the intention was to cause disrepute, while two cyber crimes were categorized as a prank. NCRB hasn’t elaborated on the motive behind 90 cases, which have been put under the “others” section.

A majority of the suspects are neighbours and students. Of 150 suspects, 23 were students and 20 were neighbours. Disgruntled employees and employers were suspects in seven cases, while six were business competitors. Surprisingly, only two foreigners were suspects, according to the NCRB data. The category of 92 suspects hasn’t been mentioned.

Police, however, could arrest only 38 people in cases under IT Act, pointing to a poverty of infrastructure and investigation skills. Twenty of the offenders were in the age-group of 18-30, while 15 were between 30 and 45. Only three people in the age-group of 45-60 were arrested under the act, which broadly includes offences committed through electronic means. Only seven people were arrested for cyber offences registered under IPC.

Cops says inadequate infrastructure and correspondence with the World Wide Web authorities slow them down. “Most of the investigation revolves around tracing IP addresses and the servers used to commit the crime. It takes a lot of time to get these details,” says a cyber cell officer.

Delhi Police has been trying to stay up to speed. Its cyber crime cell had also launched an awareness and safety campaign to curb the menace.

Asking children to refrain from entering adult and hate sites, informing them of cyber laws, creating awareness among school administration and teachers were highlights of the programme.

The unit had also planned to procure a cyber forensic van to pick up electronic evidence from the scene of crime so that it can be analysed instantly.