Karnataka records only 0.23% conviction rate in cybercrime cases due to procedural gaps
Bengaluru: Karnataka's conviction rate in cybercrime cases remains alarmingly low, with only 204 convictions recorded from 85,642 cases registered under the Information Technology Act between 2020 and July 2025.
According to data obtained by the Deccan Herald, the rate of conviction is only 0.23 percent. The data also reveals that 2024 had the highest number of registered cases at 22,472. Out of which only 20 were convicted. Senior authorities have blamed the low rate of conviction on procedural flaws, a backlog of cases and obstacles specific to cybercrime investigations.
Compliance with in-person notifications and warrants also becomes difficult for investigating authorities as they face challenges in locating witnesses who live across the country. The preservation of digital evidence poses another critical problem.
“The very nature of electronic evidence is such that it gets lost over time, naturally,” said C Vamsi Krishna, Joint Commissioner of Police (West Bengaluru). He cited instances where courts requested raw CCTV footage during trials, only for cases to collapse because original files were overwritten after a few weeks.
Experts also pointed to the limited cooperation from intermediaries such as banks, Internet Service Providers, and social media platforms. “Most of the reliable evidence gets stuck with intermediaries, who seldom cooperate. Until they are held accountable like other suspects, securing convictions becomes challenging,” said Vijayashankar Nagarajarao, a Bengaluru-based cyberlaw expert. He noted that encrypted and anonymous services such as Proton Mail continue to hinder investigations. He called for stricter enforcement against non-compliant entities.
Financial complexities further obstruct investigation as the cybercriminals often use ‘mule accounts’ to launder proceeds through multiple layers of transactions. Investigators have traced money through as many as 1,000 accounts in few cases. Each of these cases requires separate verification and compliance processes.
Authorities noted that legal reforms are being considered to strengthen investigations and trials. “We have learnt from our experiences and have incorporated solutions into our training. Regular sessions are being conducted for police, prosecutors, and judicial officers,” Krishna said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
ALSO READ: Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
