The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government to submit a report on cybercrime-related complaints, questioning the action taken so far and the status of cases where no FIR was registered.
The case was brought by Dr. Karamjit Singh, a retired Punjab health department officer, who alleged that he was defrauded by scammers operating through a Telegram group named Secret Escapes. The petition states that fraudsters lured him into making large investments by promising high returns. Despite filing multiple complaints with the cyber police and providing evidence such as bank transaction details and information about the accused, no FIR was registered, and no investigation was initiated.
The petition further stated that, under the new law, complaints can be filed from anywhere, even via WhatsApp, under the zero FIR provision. If an investigation does not commence or a report is not submitted within 14 days, action should be taken against police officials. However, no FIR has been lodged, and the fraudsters remain at large.
During a hearing, Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu instructed the state counsel to visit the office of the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Cyber Crime, Punjab, on February 17, 2025, to collect and present details in court regarding the handling of complaints. The court also ordered the ADGP to assign a responsible officer to track down the accused named in FIR No. 0012, registered on February 3, 2025, under Sections 61(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, at Cyber Crime Police Station, Patiala.
Inspector Tarandeep Kaur from Cyber Crime, Patiala, along with investigating officers Gurdeep Singh and Navneet Singh, appeared before the court. The state counsel, Kunwarbir Singh, assisted by Tarandeep Kaur, sought additional time to file a detailed response. A preliminary reply was submitted by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aaswant Singh Dhaliwal, representing the Economic Offences and Cyber Crime Unit, Patiala.
In a previous hearing, the court had asked the Punjab government to provide data on cybercrime complaints received between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024, along with details of pending FIRs. The next hearing is scheduled for February 20.