Popularly known as the ‘The Jewel of the East Coast’, this port city in Andhra Pradesh has multiple faces. It is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh and the third largest on the Eastern Coast of India. No points for guessing! We are talking about Vishakapatnam, or what is more commonly known as Vizag. The evolution of Vizag has been an eventful one and ever since then, there has been no looking back.

Also, the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, it is now a developing Smart City under the Smart Cities Mission. The Smart Cities Mission by the Government of India endeavors to make 100 cities of India more sustainable and citizen-friendly.

Vishakapatnam emerged in the first 10 cities to be chosen in the very first round of the Smart City Challenge. And as is envisioned, Vishakapatnam is adopting all means to make the city safe and secure in the physical as well as the virtual or cyber world. One of which is to lay the foundation for a robust cyber crime mitigation and cyber security mechanism.

The Need for an Advanced State Forensic Science Laboratory

The advancement of technology has reaped myriad benefits but its adverse outcomes cannot be neglected. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the Indian Computer Emergency Report Team (CERT-In), the number of cyber crime cases registered in the country grew from 9,622 to 27,482 from 2014 to 2017.

In fact, the budding Smart City, Vishakapatnam, has been making headlines as the cyber crime capital of Andhra Pradesh. What is making matters worse was the absence of a dedicated cyber forensic lab in Vishakapatnam and a fully functional cyber crime police station.

The Absence of Quality Forensic Labs in India

Although a Cyber Crime Investigation Cell functioning under the Crime Branch of Vizag does exist, the lack of adequately trained manpower makes it challenging to fast-track the investigation of the scores of cyber crimes that the cell registers each day.

Online job and lottery scams, online harassment, phishing and vishing and Advance Fee Scams or Nigerian Scams tops the cyber crime charts. And with the year 2018 bringing forth newer cyber security threats, ensuring cyber security for citizens is all set to get more difficult. However, Vishakapatnam Commissioner of Police’s promise to launch a full-fledged cyber crime investigation cell shall soon be a reality.

Cyber Security in India – Reinforced

Vishakapatnam’s strides towards the Smart City mission shall now get stronger with an all-new cyber forensic laboratory and cyber crime police station seeing the light of the day in the days to come. Temporarily the facilities will be operated from the VUDA Complex near Siripuram.

Cyber crime inspector, V Gopinath, aspires to equip the lab with the latest forensic tools and technologies. This is because the existing cyber cell is inefficient in handling the complexity of the cases due to inadequate technical support and understanding. Although one can approach the Inspector of Police – Cyber Crimes for lodging a cyber crime complaint in Vishakapatnam, but the Andhra Pradesh police department is nevertheless dependent on the cyber forensic lab in Hyderabad for digital forensic support. This also results in an unavoidable delay in furnishing of the reports and thus an obvious backlog in the investigations.

A Dedicated Cyber Forensic Department as Promised by the Commissioner of Police

The proposed cyber forensic lab and cyber crime police station in Vishakapatnam shall be receiving the backing of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Thiruvananthapuram.  Through this venture, Vishakapatnam City Police also intends to spearhead an active campaign to educate the public about the prevailing cyber crimes and the means to stay wary of them.

The existing cyber cell in Vishakapatnam has already taken several progressive steps towards curbing cyber crimes in the city. For instance, they released thousands of booklets in 2014 and 2015 covering all prime facts about cyber crimes and the cyber laws under the Information Technology Act. They also actively engage in conducting seminars on cyber crime awareness in various educational institutions. Additionally, digital theatre slides that are being played in leading theatres and multiplexes have received massive support and appreciation from the public.

Incognito Forensic Foundation (IFF Lab) – Forensic Science Laboratory Serving Every State of India

Incognito Forensic Foundation (IFF Lab) is one of the leading private forensic labs in India that works closely with Law Enforcement Agencies across India for cyber crime and criminal investigations. Equipped with the latest digital forensic tools, IFF Lab has a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory and the best-in-class forensic experts to boast of.

IFF Lab not only provides assistance with cybercrime investigations but also support organizations with the installation of Cyber and Digital Forensic Laboratories. IFF Lab’s experience and expertise can be leveraged for the installation of state-of-the-art digital forensic laboratories equipped with the latest tools and technologies. They deploy their range of products for setting up various types of cyber forensic labs – from a basic cyber forensic lab to mobile and cloud-based high tech cyber forensic laboratories.