Patna, Dec 31 (AHN) Bihar, already considered the state with the lowest per capita income, has increasingly fallen victim to organised cybercrime, pushing thousands of economically vulnerable families into financial distress.

Several districts across the state are witnessing the rapid expansion of cyber fraud networks, with criminals adopting new and sophisticated methods every day to cheat innocent people.

According to estimates, cybercriminals siphon off more than Rs 500 crore annually from Bihar, while some assessments put the figure even higher -- between Rs 800 crore and Rs 1,000 crore every year.

This massive financial drain is particularly devastating for a state where a large section of the population survives on limited income.

Bihar is now emerging as a new hub of cybercrime.

While earlier such operations were largely associated with Jamtara in Jharkhand, cybercriminal networks have now shifted their base to districts like Nalanda and Nawada, which have become major centres of organised cyber fraud.

From these districts, criminal gangs operate call centres, manage fake digital platforms, and coordinate fraud operations across the country.

The growth in cybercrime cases in Bihar over the past few years has been alarming. Official data reveals that 1,606 cybercrime cases were registered in 2022, and the number jumped sharply to 4,450 cases in 2023, a 2.7-fold increase.

In 2024, the figure rose further to 5,712 cases, and by November 2025, 5572 cases had already been registered. Compared to 2022, Bihar recorded a fourfold increase in cybercrime cases by 2024, highlighting the rapid expansion of cyber fraud networks in the state.

Cybercriminals are constantly innovating their methods. In many cases, they obtain banking details through phishing, while in others they impersonate officials from agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation or Enforcement Directorate, threatening victims with so-called digital arrests.

Using fear and intimidation, criminals coerce victims into transferring large sums of money. These digital arrest scams alone have led to losses running into crores of rupees in Bihar.

According to police sources, the intelligence team is actively monitoring suspicious mobile numbers, websites, URLs, and digital financial transactions to trace cybercriminals to their source. The Economic Offence Unit (EOU), a nodal agency of the Bihar Police, is to keep a track on financial frauds and has proactively worked to curb these frauds.

With the cooperation of telecom service providers, the EOU has so far blocked nearly 9,300 mobile numbers and around 4,000 IMEI numbers linked to cyber fraud. This decisive action has severely disrupted the communication networks of cybercriminals and, in many cases, prevented fraudulent activities before they could cause further damage.

The unit's proactive approach has also led to the exposure of serious cybercrime operations, including SIM box fraud, where international calls were illegally converted into local calls to facilitate cyber fraud.

In addition, organised gangs involved in creating fake websites to steal personal and banking details of unsuspecting citizens have also been busted. These breakthroughs highlight that the EOU is not merely reacting to complaints but actively preventing cybercrime through advanced detection.

A key technological support for this effort has been the 'Pratibimb' portal, a GIS-based software module developed in collaboration with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Home Ministry. The Pratibimb platform assists law enforcement agencies in identifying the location, identity, and network of cybercriminals based on complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

Leveraging this technical support and detailed mobile data analysis, the EOU carried out a special statewide operation named 'Cyber Prahar', during which 171 cybercriminals were arrested.

Additionally, the EOU headquarters has referred over 5,600 cybercrime cases to district cyber police stations this year, leading to the arrest of more than 1,000 accused persons. These figures indicate that Bihar's response to cybercrime is becoming increasingly structured, coordinated, and result-oriented.

Timely intervention by law enforcement has resulted in Rs 106.30 crore being frozen in suspicious bank accounts. However, due to procedural and technical constraints, only Rs 7.36 crore has been refunded to victims so far.

Going forward, these measures are expected not only to deter cybercriminals but also to significantly enhance public confidence in digital transactions and online systems.