Worried about women safety and increasing cases of cyber crimes, Pune police have now urged women to come forward and register their crimes.
"The drop in the number of complaints is horrible and not true. We know the crimes are underreported," said one of the officials from the cyber cell of Pune police.
"Given the wide use of social media among many and especially women, cyber crimes too have gone up but the women here are not comfortable in reporting them," said the same official.
The cyber bullying, objectionable comments, sexually coloured remarks, blackmailing etc has been discussed widely but the complaints need to be reported to us so that we nab the offenders, said the officials.
So far, only four women, this year alone have registered their complaints with us which is quite surprising, said the cyber crime officials of Pune city to this newspaper.
In these four cases, all four offenders were nabbed immediately.
The cases involved objectionable comments and derogatory remarks posted on social media platforms.
Rupali Chakankar targeted by the social media bullies
A recent case that came to light was of the Chairperson of the State Women's Commission, Rupali Chakankar who was targeted by the social media bullies. The police found objectionable remarks on some of her posts on social media.
The offenders were arrested and legal actions too have been initiated by the police in Chakankar's case.
We have also issued notices to two other individuals linked in this case, said the official.
In Chakankar's case, a complaint was filed by Santosh Baban Borate that prompted an investigation into the matter.
The cyber crime officials, through their meticulous technical analysis, identified Jayant Ramchandra Patil, as one of the primary suspects. Patil is a resident of Dhangarwadi, Sangli.'
"A notice has been served to him, and his mobile device has been seized. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Patil is dealing with mental health issues," said the police officials.
In another case of cyber crime in the city reported this year, Vasant Rameshrao Khule, aged 34 and residing in Parbhani, was served a notice for making obscene comments on a woman's Facebook page. The Cyber Police are actively pursuing this matter to ensure justice for the victim.
These incidents show us the urgent need to protect the women in general and also provide safety to them on social media platforms.
Pune Cyber Police promise to provide a safe online environment
Pune Cyber Police has promised to provide a safe online environment and take stringent action against individuals involved in such activities and those involved in harassment of women.
"We are conducting awareness campaigns now to educate the public about online safety measures and responsible digital behavior. This is only to encourage people to come forward and feel no shame in reporting such incidents. Their privacy will never be compromised," concluded senior police inspector of Cyber Police Station, Minal Patil.
