Amit Shah calls for urgent action to stem the rot of cyberfraud
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, called for coordinated and urgent action from all stakeholders to prevent cyber fraud, stating that if necessary steps are not taken, this will turn into a national crisis.
Stating that cyber security is no longer just a matter of economic security, Shah said that it is now also linked to national security. “Therefore, it is our common responsibility to firmly secure the economic, social, administrative and national security dimensions and advance the digital revolution.”
Speaking at the national conference on ‘Combating Cyber-Enabled Fraud and Ecosystem Fragmentation’ organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mr. Shah said there was a need for better coordination between stakeholders, including banks and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C).
The Home Minister said that I4C, State police, CBI, National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, Department of Telecommunications, Department of Banking, Ministry of Information Technology, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and judiciary are working together to prevent cyber crimes.
Explosion in digital payments
He noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the number of internet users has increased from 250 million to over one billion in the last 11 years. Mr. Shah also stated that more than 181 billion UPI transactions worth over ₹233 trillion will be recorded in 2024. He added that 97 percent of total payment transactions are now carried out digitally, and this figure has reached 99 percent in terms of volume.
“Keeping these transactions safe is now our top priority,” he said, adding that more than 570 million Jan Dhan accounts had been opened as of February 2026. The number of RuPay debit cards reached 398.1 million and was expected to exceed approximately 500 million by December 2026.
Speaking about the multi-pronged strategy adopted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Shah said that the key elements of this strategy are real-time reporting of cyber crimes, a robust network of forensic laboratories, capacity building, research and development, spreading cyber awareness in society and ensuring cyber hygiene in cyberspace.
From January 2020 to November 30, 2025, the I4C reporting portal was used more than 230 million times, he said. As of November 2025, more than 8.2 million cybercrime complaints were lodged through the portal, of which 1.84 lakh were converted into First Information Reports and a large number of complaints were effectively resolved.
As of December 2025, approximately 62 banks and financial institutions across the country have become part of the system. The ministry has set a target for participation of all banking and financial institutions, including cooperative banks, before December 2026.
₹8,189 crore ‘recovered’
Mr. Shah lauded the recovery of Rs 8.189 billion from cybercriminals, based on 3.61 lakh complaints in the last four years, as a major achievement. “Estimates suggest that the total fraud amounts to ₹ 20,000 crore, of which we have frozen ₹ 8,189 crore or returned it to the victims,” he said. He added that by December 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs had canceled 1.2 million suspicious SIM cards and blocked the IMEI numbers of three lakh mobile devices. In total, 20,853 defendants were arrested.
He called on all police departments across the country to assign sufficient call handlers to the 1930 call center to ensure timely action. Similarly, he said, all private, public and cooperative banks should immediately adopt the Mule Account Hunter software developed jointly by the Government of India and the RBI.
The Home Secretary said 795 institutions, including banks, fintech companies, non-banking financial companies and e-commerce platforms, have participated in I4C. He stated that all these institutions should prioritize I4C and ensure rapid response to their calls. He added that 362 delegates attended the conference.
It was published – 10 February 2026 23:21 IST
