Hyderabad: Police launch ‘C-Mitra’ to help cyber fraud victims lodge FIRs virtually

Hyderabad, Jan 9 (PTI) Police on Friday launched C-Mitra, a virtual help desk designed to assist victims of cyber fraud in registering FIRs without visiting a police station.

Described as the "first initiative of its kind" in the country, C-Mitra aims to provide immediate relief to citizens facing digital crimes, including OTP frauds, digital arrests, and investment and trading scams.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said the "virtual police officer" system leverages technology to bring policing to the doorstep of common people.

The service is currently available only to residents within the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate jurisdiction, according to a release.

Victims are required to first report the cyber fraud by calling the ‘1930’ helpline or lodging a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in). Once reported, virtual police officers from the C-Mitra team contact the victim.

Since many victims are unfamiliar with legal terminology or relevant sections of law, the C-Mitra team uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to draft a precise complaint based on the details provided and sends it to the victim.

The victim must print, sign, and send the draft via post or courier to the Cyber Mitra Help Desk at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Basheerbagh. Alternatively, a drop box is available at the station for submitting signed copies.

Upon receiving the physical copy, the police will register the FIR and send the details to the victim via SMS. While physical signatures are currently mandatory, officials said a digital signature option is being explored for the future.

According to the police, registering an FIR physically takes an average of three hours.

C-Mitra is designed to save citizens’ time and allow station staff to focus on investigations.

Currently, only 18 per cent of complaints received through the helpline and national portal are converted into FIRs. The department aims to increase this conversion rate to 100 per cent through C-Mitra, the release added. PTI SJR SSK