Mumbai: After several years of a sharp rise in cybercrime, Mumbai Police have finally managed to bring the numbers down to some extent. According to the 2025 statistics, cybercrime has decreased by 259 cases compared to 2024, marking the first decline in three years. However, citizens point out that hesitation in filing complaints and delays in registering FIRs may also be contributing factors to the lower numbers.
Shift From Street Crime
In earlier years, when the underworld dominated the city, street crimes were more prevalent. As Mumbai Police successfully curbed gang activities, street crime reduced noticeably. However, with the widespread use of mobile phones and the shift of most financial transactions to online platforms, cybercrime began rising rapidly. Cybercriminals exploited citizens’ lack of awareness about internet safety and online financial transactions, causing cases to surge over the past decade.
Since it is impossible to stop or limit the use of the internet, awareness became the only solution. Mumbai Police intensified cyber awareness initiatives through schools, colleges, and community outreach programmes. Officers also visited homes of elderly citizens living alone to educate them about online frauds like Digital arrest. As a result, cybercrime in 2025 dropped by nearly 5%, an official said.
Detection Rate Concern
According to Mumbai Police data, the highest number of cases recorded in 2025 were related to share market investment frauds (856). This was followed by credit/debit card-related frauds (655), job-offer scams (303), and frauds under various schemes (266). A total of 252 cases of obscene messages and harassment, and 191 cases of digital arrest scams—one of the most discussed cybercrimes—were registered during the year.
Detection Rate Remains Poor
While the decline in cybercrime is a positive sign, the detection rate remains very low. Out of 4,825 cases registered in 2025, police managed to solve only 1,542. A total of 1,410 accused were arrested in these cases.
Year-wise Cybercrime Statistics:
2019 – 2,609
2020 – 2,499
2021 – 2,883
2022 – 4,286
2023 – 4,169
2024 – 5,087
2025 – 4,825
Cybercrime Breakdown for 2025:
Phishing – 57 cases (6 detected, 7 arrests)
Pornography – 16 (12 detected, 10 arrests)
Obscene posts – 252 (196 detected, 156 arrests)
Morphing – 169 (95 detected, 95 arrests)
Credit card fraud – 655 (150 detected, 133 arrests)
Hacking – 80 (9 detected, 11 arrests)
Fraud – 3,262 (889 detected, 847 arrests)
Data theft – 35 (14 detected, 14 arrests)
Sextortion – 40 (24 detected, 31 arrests)
Communal posts – 16 (8 detected, 8 arrests)
Others – 243 (139 detected, 98 arrests)
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