The Madhya Pradesh High Court has initiated a nationwide effort to resolve systemic delays in cyber fraud investigations, impleading federal ministries, the central bank, and multiple state police forces into an ongoing online theft case.
During a hearing on July 14, Justice Himanshu Joshi expanded the scope of a petition filed by cyber fraud victim Chaitali Mittra, noting that the issues raised affect the broader national framework of cybercrime investigations. The court ordered the directors general of police for Assam, West Bengal, and Jharkhand to appear personally at the next hearing on July 21, alongside complete status reports from their respective departments.
To explore a nationwide real-time information exchange mechanism, the court also ordered the petitioner to implead the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Telecommunications, and the Reserve Bank of India.
The directives came after Jabalpur police officials, including the Superintendent of Police, appeared in court to explain the slow progress in Mittra’s case, where the principal suspect was recently traced to Assam.
Obstacles in Cyber Investigations
The Jabalpur Superintendent of Police told the court that while complaints are sent to cyber cells immediately, investigators face severe initial delays. Obtaining basic information from commercial banks takes three to five days because each institution operates separate nodal offices situated in different locations.
The police also reported that inquiries are frequently stalled by a lack of prompt cooperation from law enforcement agencies in other states where transactions or suspects are located.
Furthermore, investigators detailed how modern fraudsters exploit technology to evade detection. Criminals increasingly route stolen funds through “mule” or “null” bank accounts opened in the names of innocent individuals, while coordinating activities on encrypted communication platforms like Telegram. Securing IP logs, subscriber details, and other technical data from online intermediaries takes significant time, allowing suspects to relocate, erase digital evidence, and disperse stolen money before they can be identified.
Need for National Real-Time Mechanism
Justice Joshi observed that cybercrime investigations require a fundamentally different approach than conventional police work, emphasizing that every second is critical. The court noted that effective enforcement depends on prompt victim reporting, immediate account freezing by financial institutions, rapid technical support from telecom and internet platforms, and seamless coordination among state police forces.
The court warned that slow procedural transactions and administrative paperwork benefit offenders by giving them the time needed to conceal their identities and siphon funds out of legal reach.
Unless information gathering, technical analysis, and field operations are integrated into a single coordinated framework, the objectives of recovering stolen funds and apprehending suspects will be defeated, the court added.
The impleaded federal agencies, the central bank, and the state police departments are scheduled to assist the court during the July 21 hearing to establish a faster, more coordinated nationwide investigative system.
