Chandigarh, June 27: Over Rs 64 crore has been successfully returned to cybercrime victims in Punjab since 2024, driven by a major law enforcement initiative that froze Rs 540.34 crore across 63,749 fraudulent bank accounts. The targeted campaign reflects an enhanced capability to intercept illicit financial flows, with the success rate of freezing fraud proceeds rising from 16.13 percent to 23.43 percent during the last financial year.
Out of the total recovered funds, Rs 38.42 crore was retrieved after January 1, 2025. These figures emerge alongside the documentation of 62,253 cybercrime cases registered throughout the state, prompting a comprehensive response from the State Cyber Crime Division.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav asserted that the strategic focus remains on protecting public savings and dismantling criminal infrastructure.
“Investigations had revealed financial trails and inter-state linkages, allowing police to disrupt fraud networks and protect citizens’ savings,” DGP Yadav declared.
The Director General of Police also maintained that the persistent pressure on cyber fraud gangs has allowed the state forces to expose organized networks operating on a national scale.
A district-wise analysis shows Jalandhar leading the enforcement metrics with 16,032 frozen accounts and Rs 6.81 crore recovered. Tarn Taran followed closely in monetary terms with Rs 6.97 crore recovered from 5,229 accounts. Meanwhile, Kapurthala registered 7,344 frozen accounts with Rs 2.56 crore recovered, Hoshiarpur managed 7,201 accounts with Rs 3.96 crore recovered, and Ferozepur locked 6,930 accounts to retrieve Rs 93 lakh.
The division recently neutralized an international extortion threat targeting a Punjabi resident living in Canada. The operation concluded with three arrests and the seizure of significant technical equipment, including 29 mobile phones, a laptop, a tablet, a dongle, and 38 phone boxes, alongside the recovery of Rs 3.49 lakh and $500.
In tandem with enforcement, the police have prioritized community outreach by conducting 129 awareness programmes across Punjab to educate vulnerable groups. Special DGP (Cyber Crime) V Neeraja affirmed that proactive education is vital to stopping these crimes before they happen.
