The Punjab Police’s State Cyber Crime Division has intensified its crackdown on cybercriminals by freezing thousands of bank accounts linked to online frauds and facilitating the return of defrauded money to victims.
Over the past year, the police froze 63,749 accounts linked to fraudulent transactions worth about Rs 540.34 crore. Since 2024, nearly Rs 64 crore has been recovered and refunded to victims, including Rs 38.42 crore since January 1, 2025.
During the same period, 62,253 cybercrime cases were registered across Punjab. The percentage of fraud proceeds successfully frozen rose from 16.13 per cent to 23.43 per cent in the last financial year, marking a significant improvement.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “The crackdown against cyber fraud gangs has enabled the Punjab Police to freeze thousands of fraudulent accounts and recover defrauded money. It has also helped expose organised cybercrime networks operating across the country.”
He added that investigations had revealed financial trails and inter-state linkages, allowing police to disrupt fraud networks and protect citizens’ savings.
Jalandhar Commissionerate recorded the highest number of frozen accounts (16,032), leading to recovery of Rs 6.81 crore. It was followed by Kapurthala with 7,344 accounts and Rs 2.56 crore recovery; Hoshiarpur 7,201 accounts and Rs 3.96 crore recovery; Ferozepur 6,930 accounts and Rs 93 lakh recovery; and Tarn Taran 5,229 accounts with Rs 6.97 crore recovery.
Highlighting a recent success, the DGP said the division cracked a cyber-extortion case involving a Punjabi resident in Canada. Three persons were arrested, and Rs 3.49 lakh along with $500 was recovered. The police also seized 29 mobile phones, a laptop, a tablet, a dongle and 38 phone boxes.
To strengthen prevention, the Cyber Crime Division has conducted 129 awareness programmes across Punjab.
Special DGP (Cyber Crime) V Neeraja said the police were also sensitising youngsters about online grooming, cyber bullying, sextortion, fake friendships and gaming platforms that might lead to sharing sensitive personal information.
She said the sustained enforcement drive, coupled with awareness campaigns, reflected the Punjab Police’s multi-pronged strategy to combat cybercrime and build confidence in digital transactions.
