Cyber Forensics and Law Enforcement In India

The cyber forensics knowledge level of the police officers in India is much below the required level. On many occasions when the police teams have been asked to confiscate the computer found at the crime scene, they have ended up bringing the monitor only with them. Even they are not aware in which part of the computer does information resides. The police officers of cyber cells of various State police departments are not aware of the basics of computers. During a training session discussing Internet and other basics one of the constables enquired where the Internet building is located.

Recently Director-General of Police (Criminal Investigation Department and Training) D.V. Guruprasad confessed that the police have no clue how to handle cyber crime. In a marketing fraud case, the police had dumped desktops and laptops of the accused in a storeroom without realising they did not have the hard disks in them. When the head constable was asked about the hard disks, he did not know what they were. If this is the situation, there can be no cyber crimes conviction in India. With a weak cyber law, India has already become a safe heaven for cyber criminals, say experts.

According to Praveen Dalal, Managing Partner of Perry4Law and the leading Techno-Legal Expert of India, “The police officers, lawyers and judges must be trained in “Techno-Legal” aspects so that cyber criminals may be suitably punished. In the absence of proper training, there is almost no conviction of cyber criminals in India”.

Time has come to take help of good techno-legal experts who can train the police officers, lawyers, judges, etc in this regard. Also the Information Technology Act 2000 must be suitable updated to so that it may cease to be a “criminal friendly legislation”.