New centralised unit to handle cybercrime cases across UT; will coordinate with NCRP, 1930 helpline, banks and I4C
YASH KHAJURIA
LEH: Strengthening Ladakh’s response to the growing threat of cyber-enabled offences, the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh has notified the existing Cyber Unit, Leh, as the “Cyber Police Station, Ladakh”, with jurisdiction extending across the entire Union Territory.
The order, issued by the Home Department on August 14 under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, states that the move has been necessitated by the increasing incidence of cyber-enabled offences in Ladakh.
The notification gives the new Cyber Police Station a centralised role in registering and investigating cybercrime cases and related offences under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and other applicable laws.
A key responsibility of the Cyber Police Station will be to facilitate e-Zero FIRs and coordinate with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the 1930 cybercrime helpline. It will also undertake the preservation and collection of digital evidence and facilitate prompt action for freezing or holding fraudulent financial transactions.
The unit will coordinate with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), banks, financial institutions, telecom service providers and other concerned agencies to ensure a coordinated response to cyber offences.
The Cyber Police Station, Ladakh, will function under the administrative and operational control of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ladakh Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (L4C). The CEO will make necessary arrangements for its effective functioning, including coordination with concerned agencies, using existing resources of the Ladakh Police as an interim arrangement.
The order further clarified that any existing administrative arrangement inconsistent with the notification will stand modified to the extent of such inconsistency. However, investigations, proceedings or actions already undertaken by competent police units will continue in accordance with law.
The notification has come into force with immediate effect, marking a major institutional step towards creating a dedicated and centralised mechanism for tackling cybercrime across Ladakh.
