3 days ago
Bihar’s Cybercrime Crisis Grows Through Five Converging Trends
Cybercrime means using phones or the internet to trick or harm people.
Bihar is seeing many more cybercrime complaints than before.
Criminals target both cities and villages with scams involving bank accounts, jobs, investments, loans and digital payments.
Some districts have become important places for these criminal networks.
Many new internet users do not yet know how to stay safe online.
Young people are also being recruited into fraud groups.
Personal revenge and disagreements are another reported reason for some cyber offences, although that category includes many types of crimes.
Bihar Police is trying to respond by freezing stolen money, blocking phone numbers and opening cybercrime police stations.
Bihar recorded 335,807 cybercrime victims and Rs 1,490 crore in reported losses between January 2023 and July 2026.
Cybercrime complaints rose from 68,931 in 2024 to 117,812 in 2025, with 114,918 filed in the first seven months of 2026.
Ten districts have emerged as cybercrime hubs, while Nawada, Nalanda, Patna and Sheikhpura rank among India’s top 15 hotspots.
Rural residents face growing exposure through UPI, mobile banking, digital kiosks, job scams, investment fraud and impersonation.
Bihar Police has launched Operation Cyber Prahar, expanded specialist stations and blocked thousands of suspicious numbers, devices and online accounts.
- Who
- People in Bihar were targeted by cybercriminals, while Bihar Police and organised fraud networks are involved in the response and offences.
- What
- Bihar is experiencing a rapidly expanding cybercrime crisis involving financial scams, phishing, impersonation, digital-payment fraud and revenge-related offences.
- Where
- The crisis affects Bihar, with major hotspots including Nawada, Nalanda, Patna, Sheikhpura, Jamui, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and West Champaran.
- When
- The figures cover January 2023 through July 2026, with 114,918 complaints recorded during the first seven months of 2026.
- Why
- The articles identify rapid smartphone and internet adoption, low digital literacy, rural digital-service expansion, organised recruitment and personal disputes as contributing factors.
Police and enforcement view
Data and prevention cautions
Why complaints are rising
Police and enforcement view
Bihar Police says its dedicated cyber cell has made reporting more systemic and extensive, encouraging more victims to report quickly.
Data and prevention cautions
The scale and speed of reported losses and complaints indicate that increased reporting is occurring alongside a serious expansion of vulnerability and organised fraud.
Meaning of revenge-related cases
Police and enforcement view
The 1,167 cases classified under personal revenge and enmity show that personal disputes are a significant recorded motive for cybercrime in Bihar.
Data and prevention cautions
A Bihar Police officer cautions that the National Crime Records Bureau category is broad and should not be interpreted as meaning all cases involved cyberbullying, morphed media or character assassination.
Best response to rural risk
Police and enforcement view
Police are emphasizing immediate portal reporting, Zero FIRs, financial freezes, enforcement against illicit SIM vendors and mule-account facilitators, and specialist cyber stations.
Data and prevention cautions
Cyber expert Abhinav Das argues that prevention must also reach schools, panchayats, farmers’ groups, self-help groups, community radio, banking points, Common Service Centres and youth networks.
Key facts
- Reported losses
- Rs 1,490 crore was lost by 335,807 people between January 2023 and July 2026.
- Funds frozen
- Bihar Police froze Rs 299 crore of the reported losses.
- Complaint increase
- Complaints rose from 68,931 in 2024 to 117,812 in 2025.
- 2026 complaints
- A total of 114,918 complaints were filed from January through July 2026.
- Top hotspots
- Nawada, Nalanda, Patna and Sheikhpura ranked second, fourth, seventh and fifteenth among India’s top 15 cybercrime hotspots.
- Revenge-related cases
- Bihar recorded 1,167 cases classified by the National Crime Records Bureau as motivated by personal revenge or enmity in 2024.
- Police action in 2026
- From January through July, police blocked 6,399 mobile numbers and 1,876 IMEI numbers, took down 2,809 social-media URLs and permanently deleted 738 accounts.
Quotes
Bihar Police officer
Bihar Police officer commenting on the NCRB cybercrime classification
“Now that we have a dedicated cyber cell, reporting of cybercrime is far more systemic and extensive than before. We encourage citizens to report incidents on the cyber portal immediately so defrauded funds can be frozen in real time. We have also introduced the Zero FIR facility specifically for cyber offences.”
indianexpress.com
“Personal revenge and enmity is a broad NCRB classification. It should not be assumed that all 1,167 cases involved cyberbullying, morphed media or character assassination. The category encompasses a wider range of offences.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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