NEW DELHI. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Centre has cancelled 12 lakh SIM cards, blocked the IMEI numbers of more than 3 lakh mobile phones, and arrested 20,853 accused in a nationwide crackdown on cybercrime till December 2025. Speaking at the National Conference on “Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds and Dismantling the Ecosystem,” organised by the CBI and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Shah said a coordinated effort involving I4C, State Police forces, CBI, NIA, ED, the Department of Telecommunications, MeitY, RBI, the banking sector and the judiciary is underway to curb cyber offences. He emphasised that each institution has a defined role and that seamless inter-agency cooperation is critical for effective enforcement. Shah described the CBI–I4C initiative as significant in integrating departments and strengthening implementation of anti-cybercrime measures.
Highlighting India’s digital transformation over the past 11 years, Shah said internet users have risen from 250 million to over 1 billion, broadband connections have expanded nearly 16-fold to cross 1 billion, and data costs have fallen by 97 per cent. Under BharatNet, connectivity has grown from 546 village panchayats to over 2 lakh, while digital payments surged to more than 181 billion UPI transactions worth over Rs 233 trillion in 2024 alone. Warning that cybercrime has evolved from individual acts to organised, institutionalised networks using advanced technologies, he outlined a multi-dimensional strategy focused on real-time reporting, robust forensics, capacity building, R&D, cyber awareness and hygiene. Shah stressed the role of the CBI and NIA in tackling cross-border cybercrime and flagged lapses in digital evidence custody as a major hurdle to convictions. He urged faster response through the 1930 helpline, stronger bank-I4C coordination and proactive action against fraudulent call centres to prevent cyber fraud from escalating into a national crisis.
