AI-powered ‘Cyber Mitra’ to the rescue of fraud victims

Hyderabad: To ease the lodging of complaints related to cybercrime, the Hyderabad police on Friday launched Cyber Mitra (C-Mitra), a help desk aimed at facilitating the registration of e-FIRs. The initiative is expected to spare complainants from visiting police stations and explaining their grievances in person. After inaugurating the 24-member call centre at cybercrime police station in Basheerbagh, Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said the help desk will reach out to victims who have already contacted 1930, the national cybercrime helpline. Teams will contact victims on phone"Registering an FIR physically takes an average of three hours. C-Mitra aims to save complainants' time and allow station staff to focus on investigation. Currently, only 18% of the complaints received through 1930 helpline and the national cybercrime portal are converted into FIRs. The department has set a target of increasing this conversion rate to 100% through C-Mitra," he added. Explaining the functioning of the new system, additional commissioner of police (crimes) M Srinivasulu said the C-Mitra team will access details of Hyderabad-based victims from the 1930 helpline and contact them over phone. "Our trained staff will ask victims whether they wish to have their grievance registered as an FIR. If they give their consent, a draft complaint will be generated using AI integrated with C-Mitra, based on the information already shared with 1930 or additional details provided by the victim," M Srinivasulu said.e-FIR will be shared on WhatsAppThe draft complaint will then be shared with the victim on WhatsApp. Once the victim is satisfied with the content, the document must be downloaded, physically signed, and either deposited in the drop box at the cybercrime police station or sent by post, he added. On receiving the signed complaint, cybercrime police will register an FIR, and a copy of the e-FIR will be shared with the victim on WhatsApp, alongside with details of the assigned investigation officer. If the complaint does not fall under Hyderabad jurisdiction, a zero-FIR will be registered and forwarded to the police station concerned. Officials said the department is considering introducing a digital signature system in the future to eliminate the need for physical submission.