Jaipur, July 23 (IANS) In a major move to strengthen action against cyber financial crimes, the Rajasthan Police has introduced the automatic registration of e-Zero FIRs for cyber fraud cases involving Rs 1 lakh or more.
The new system came into effect across the state on Thursday, following orders issued by Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumaar Sharma. The DGP has issued detailed guidelines to all Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Police Commissioners, directing them to implement the revised procedure with immediate effect.
The decision follows directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and aims to ensure faster legal intervention, immediate freezing of defrauded funds, and quicker investigation and arrest of cyber criminals.
Additional Director General (Cyber Crime), V.K. Singh, said that Rajasthan’s earlier e-FIR system applied only to cyber financial fraud cases involving Rs 5 lakh or more. The threshold has now been reduced to Rs 1 lakh, allowing many more victims to receive immediate legal protection.
Under the new system, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (I4C), the 1930 Cyber Helpline, and the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) have been integrated.
As soon as a complaint involving cyber fraud of Rs 1 lakh or above is registered through the portal or helpline, an e-Zero FIR will be automatically generated at the concerned state cyber police station.
According to ADG V.K. Singh, police officers will no longer wait for the complainant’s physical signature before initiating legal action.
Upon registration of an e-Zero FIR, authorities will immediately begin measures such as freezing suspected bank accounts, placing holds on fraudulent transactions, collecting call detail records (CDRs), Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDRs), CCTV footage, and other digital evidence
These steps are intended to prevent cyber criminals from withdrawing or transferring stolen funds and to speed up investigations.
Victims have been urged to report cyber fraud immediately by calling the 1930 Cyber Helpline to maximise the chances of recovering lost money.
Under the revised procedure, the complainant must visit the concerned police station within 72 hours of the e-Zero FIR registration to sign the printed copy of the FIR.
If the complainant fails to appear within the stipulated period, a notice will be issued. However, the police will continue the preliminary investigation and other necessary legal proceedings without interruption.
The new guidelines also specify the investigating authority based on the amount involved: Fraud of Rs 1 crore or more: Investigation will be conducted by the State Cyber Crime Police Station, Jaipur.
Fraud between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1 crore: Investigation will be handled by the concerned district cyber police station or the local police station, as directed by the District Superintendent of Police (SP) or Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
DGP Rajiv Kumar Sharma said that after establishing the Rajasthan Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (R4C) on the lines of the Centre’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the Rajasthan Police has been continuously adopting modern technology and strengthening legal mechanisms to tackle cyber crime.
He said the automatic e-Zero FIR system represents a major step towards technology-driven, victim-centric policing, enabling quicker relief for victims and more effective action against cyber criminals.
–IANS
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