As crime steadily migrates from the streets to screens, Maharashtra — despite being one of India’s most digitally advanced states — finds itself grappling with an alarmingly underprepared anti-cybercrime apparatus. While cyber offences such as financial fraud, sextortion and hacking have surged in recent years, the state’s ability to secure convictions has failed to keep pace, exposing deep cracks in its digital law-enforcement framework.

From 2015 to 2024, cybercrime complaints in Maharashtra surged exponentially from 2127 to 10,466, according to the data officially procured from the Maharashtra Cyber Cell. These cases pertain to financial fraud, social media-related crimes, women-related crime, cyber bullying, debit/credit card, e-wallet, QR code and cryptocurrency fraud, ransomware, sextortion, etc.