KOCHI: The recent introduction of two cyber police stations in Kochi and Kozhikode has seemingly failed to curb crimes perpetrated by offenders and also bring down the backlog of pending cyber cases.
According to data with cyber police stations, nearly 1,532 cybercrimes are under various stages of investigation and trial in Kerala. Of these, 901 are pending in courts while 631 are under investigation. These high rates of pending cases lead to a very low rate of convictions, say experts.
Cyber forensic expert Vinod Bhattathirippad said difficulty in collecting evidence, lack of experts in initiating an effective probe and laxity of the complainant in participating in necessary follow-ups were the most prominent reasons causing the inordinate delay.
“People are very keen on filing complaints. However, they lose interest and are not involved in the follow up of the cases which naturally results in a delay,” he said.
Yet another hurdle is the delay in gathering information from intermediary agencies like the servers which host the websites. Besides, in most cases, the accused would be located abroad.
According to police officers, the inordinate delay prevent many cyber crimes from going to trial. At present, 112 cases registered by the Kochi city police station are pending trial while 10 cases are under investigation.
Pathanamthitta, which comes under the Thiruvananthapuram cyber station which was established long ago figures second with 79 cases pending before court and 19 under investigation. Thrissur city ranks third with 71 pending cases.
At least 163 cases are pending for investigation under Thiruvananthapuram cyber police station. ADGP Manoj Abraham, who is also the nodal officer of cyberdom, said cyber cases are not given special consideration in courts. “Also, evidence collection and finding the accused who are in foreign countries is difficult,” he said.