Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa has suffered cyber fraud losses close to Rs 100 crore over the last three years, while law enforcement agencies were able to recover only a small portion of the defrauded amount.
Official data shows that between 2023 and 2025, Goa police registered 298 cases related to cybercrime, many of which involved financial fraud. The year 2025 recorded the highest number of complaints, with 131 cases reported. It also witnessed the largest financial loss, as cyber criminals allegedly cheated victims of more than Rs 50 crore.
Among the major incidents reported in 2025 was a high-value scam involving a fake Initial Public Offering (IPO), in which a victim was allegedly duped of Rs 4.74 crore.
Earlier, 82 cybercrime cases were registered in 2023, while 85 cases were recorded in 2024.
Police data indicates that investigators have managed to recover Rs 90,31,899 from the total amount lost in cyber frauds. At present, 118 cases are still under investigation. Closure reports have been filed in more than 66 cases, while around 49 cases are currently pending before courts.
Authorities said several steps have been taken to improve the investigation of cybercrime and enhance the chances of recovering defrauded money. Police personnel are regularly trained at the Central Detective Training Institute run by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The cybercrime police station at Ribandar, along with cyber response units functioning in police stations across the state, has been equipped to handle such offences. Investigators are also receiving training through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the Central Detective Training Institute.
Officials said cybercrime teams are using specialised investigative platforms such as Cyber Police, Sammanvay, Pratibimb and Sahayog to track offenders and gather evidence.
Police have also intensified public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about different types of cyber fraud. As part of these efforts, authorities have blocked 442 suspicious web links, 168 social media accounts and 866 mobile numbers linked to cybercrime activities.
Awareness programmes are regularly organised in schools, colleges, public venues and panchayat halls to inform people about common cyber fraud techniques and ways to avoid falling victim to such crimes, police added.
