Pune, 11 July 2025: In response to the growing menace of cybercrime, Pune MLA Siddharth Shirole raised a pressing issue in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Thursday, demanding approval for the establishment of five new cyber police stations in the city. He emphasized that these stations, located in different regions of Pune, would help accelerate investigations and improve the effectiveness of cybercrime response.
Highlighting the scale of the threat, Shirole noted that cybercriminals are continuously defrauding citizens, making it imperative to strengthen the cybercrime investigation system.
He called for the deployment of specially trained personnel in every police station, equipped with knowledge and expertise in handling cybercrime cases. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of educating school students about cyber safety to build awareness at an early age.
Shirole also underlined the urgent need to enhance the digital forensic capabilities of the police department. He proposed that substantial financial resources be allocated to empower the digital forensic wing, enabling it to deal with increasingly sophisticated methods employed by cybercriminals. Since many fraudsters operate from foreign countries and hide behind VPNs, Shirole insisted that India must sign international cyber treaties to ensure better cooperation and tracking across borders.
In addition, he raised a crucial question regarding policy reforms at the national level, whether the central government intends to frame a comprehensive policy on the "Return of Stolen Property" to help victims recover their defrauded money. He also urged that banks be mandated to promptly inform the police about suspicious transactions to aid timely investigation.
Shirole’s demands gained significant weight following alarming statistics presented by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the state assembly. Fadnavis disclosed that Pune alone witnessed cyber fraud losses amounting to ₹6,007 crore in 2024, nearly five times more than the combined losses reported in Mumbai, Nagpur, and Thane, which stood at ₹1,125 crore. These figures underline the urgent need for Pune to become a model city in cybercrime prevention and enforcement.