NEWS – Between 2020 and July 2025, Karnataka registered 85,642 cybercrime cases under the IT Act, but only 204 resulted in conviction—a conviction rate of just 0.23%. In 2024 alone, 22,472 cases were filed, yet only 20 convictions were secured.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key Reasons for Low Conviction

1. Procedural Lapses:
   • Errors in documenting, preserving and presenting electronic evidence.
   • Courts often demand original files (e.g., CCTV footage) which may be overwritten.
2. Challenges with Witnesses:
   • Accused and witnesses often reside in different states.
   • Serving notices and ensuring compliance is uncertain.
3. Intermediary Non-Cooperation:
   • Banks, ISPs, social media platforms, and email providers delay or deny evidence-sharing.
   • Example: Services like Proton Mail, with no-logs policy, hinder probe of hoax threats.
4. Complex Financial Trail:
   • Cybercriminals use mule accounts and layer money through hundreds of accounts.
   • Investigators struggle to trace and verify each step.

Institutional & Capacity Gaps

• Lack of adequate training in cyber forensics and evidence handling.
• Insufficient accountability mechanisms for intermediaries.
• Overburdened police and prosecution with rising caseloads.

Reform Efforts Underway

• Proposed amendments to the IT Act to strengthen investigative powers.
• Training of police, prosecutors, and judicial officers in handling digital evidence.
• Calls for stricter action against non-cooperative intermediaries.