Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed a parliamentary committee on Monday, February 10, that the government has blocked 805 mobile applications and 3,266 website links in the interest of national security. The move, he said, was part of the government’s broader efforts to curb cyber threats and financial frauds.
While addressing the panel, Shah disclosed that a large-scale crackdown was carried out with the help of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). In addition to blocking apps and websites, authorities also suspended 19 lakh mule accounts—bank accounts used for fraudulent transactions. Suspicious financial transactions worth ₹2,000 crore were also flagged and frozen.
Shah further added that artificial intelligence (AI) tools will play a crucial role in tackling cybercrime, with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and banks integrating AI-based detection systems to track fraudulent activities.
Noting the surge in cybercrime across India, particularly in recent years, Shah highlighted its correlation with a 4.5-fold increase in internet users. “Unless we implement robust software-based security measures and strengthen user awareness, combating cyber fraud will remain a significant challenge,” he stated.
India has also witnessed 48% of the world’s digital transactions in the past year, making it a prime target for cybercriminals.
Stating that with India being the third largest country in the world in terms of digital landscape he said that the ministry of home affairs (MHA) is trying to ensure zero cybercrime cases in the future.
He presented four types of strategies that will be employed to fight cyber crime — convergence coordination communication and capacity.
He said that effective cooperation and collaboration on information exchange between the MHA, Ministry of Electronics, IT, CERT-IN and other departments like telecom and banking has helped tackle many cybercrime cases.
Shah then stressed on the importance of citizens being aware of cybercrime and requested the members present at the meeting to promote I4C’s helpline number ‘1930’ to report such frauds and scams.
