SHIMLA, March 29: Cyber criminals have swindled nearly ₹150 crore from people in Himachal Pradesh over the past three years, exposing the scale at which digital fraud has spread across the state. Official figures placed in the Assembly on Saturday show that 585 cyber fraud cases were registered during this period, with Kangra recording the highest number of district-level complaints.
The data was shared by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal during Question Hour. According to the government, police have so far arrested 258 accused in these cases and recovered around ₹10.25 crore, but the recovery remains only a fraction of the total amount lost.
What makes the numbers more worrying is that officials themselves acknowledged in the House that many victims still do not report cyber frauds, which means the actual scale may be significantly higher than what the official data captures.
Kangra Reports Highest Cases, But Biggest Fraud Value Lies Elsewhere
Among regular district police records, Kangra reported the highest number of digital fraud cases at 59. It was followed closely by Baddi with 58, Solan with 41 and Mandi with 30 cases. Kinnaur reported 28 cases, Sirmaur 25, Shimla 17, Una 13, Nurpur 12, while Chamba and Kullu recorded 10 cases each. Dehra registered eight cases, Hamirpur seven, Lahaul-Spiti four and Bilaspur just one case.
But the district with the highest number of cases was not the one with the highest fraud amount. The biggest monetary hit was reported under Cyber Police Station Shimla, where fraud worth more than ₹55.62 crore was recorded. Cyber Police Station Mandi reported fraud worth over ₹33.64 crore, while Cyber Police Station Dharamshala recorded losses of nearly ₹25.92 crore.
That contrast shows how cyber crime in Himachal is no longer limited to high-volume small scams. In several cases, fraudsters appear to have targeted victims through high-value financial deception, making the impact far more severe than complaint counts alone suggest.
Police Expand Cyber Response as Bank Role Also Comes Under Lens
To deal with the rising threat, the state has set up cyber help desks in all 146 police stations. The government also informed the Assembly that eight officers have already been specially trained in cyber investigations, while 29 more are currently undergoing training.
The issue has also exposed weak points beyond just online fraud networks. In some cases, the government said, the role of bank employees has also surfaced either through negligence or alleged collusion. Four bank employees have been arrested in connection with such cases.
The data underlines a broader shift in Himachal’s crime pattern: fraud is increasingly moving from physical spaces to phones, payment apps, fake investment links, impersonation calls and digital account traps. For a state where many victims are first-time digital users or elderly account holders, the challenge is no longer just policing — it is also about awareness, banking safeguards and faster complaint reporting.
