Dehradun, Nov. 22 -- The state police department has decided to train two officers from each police station for effective collection of cyber crime-related evidence to effectively deal with such crimes, officials familiar with the matter said. The decision came amid a significant surge in cybercrime cases in the state. State home secretary Shailesh Bagauli confirmed the development and said: "We have seen a surge in cyber crime cases in recent times. CM Dhami in a recent meeting asked the senior officials to deal with them effectively. We have made a plan to select two officers from each police station to train them for effective collection of cyber crime related evidence so that such crimes can be dealt with efficiently....Those selected for the training will have an IT background." Earlier, the state police decided to set up two new cyber police stations - one in Haridwar and the other in Nainital - to deal with rising cyber crimes. These additions aim to alleviate the pressure on the existing cyber police stations in Dehradun and Rudrapur (Udham Singh Nagar), officials said. Currently, the Rudrapur cyber police station handles investigations into cyber frauds exceeding Rs.20 lakh for the districts in Kumaon region, while Dehradun manages similar cases for the districts in Garhwal region. Once operational, the new cyber police stations will divide responsibilities as follows: Dehradun will cover cybercrimes in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, and Tehri Garhwal; Haridwar will oversee cases from Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli; Rudrapur will be responsible for investigations in Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat, and Pithoragarh; and Nainital will handle matters in Nainital, Almora, and Bageshwar. These decisions are being taken as the amount lost by the people across state in cyber crimes saw a massive 146 per cent jump from Rs.69 crores in 2023 to Rs.170 crores in 2024, contributed by a sharp rise in incidents of digital arrest, and investment frauds, according to data provided by the state police. To put into perspective, cyber fraudsters made off with over Rs.46.57 lakh per day in 2024. The cyber cell recovered around Rs. 28.12 crores, while the recoveries last year stood at around Rs.6 crores. According to the official figures, around 22,000 complaints were received on the cyber helpline (1930) from the state, compared to approximately 19,000 last year. The FIRs registered in two cybercrime police stations of the state -- cyber crime police station in Dehradun for the Garhwal region and cyber crime police station in Rudrapur (Udham Singh Nagar) for the Kumaon also saw a two-to-three-fold increase compared to the previous year. In Dehradun cyber police station, 91 FIRs were registered, compared to 38 last year. In Rudrapur cyber police station, 34 FIRs were registered, compared to 10 last year. The police arrested 66 accused (including hawala operators) involved in cyber frauds from different parts of the country. Senior superintendent of police (STF) Navneet Singh said the government has launched Chakshu portal on the Sanchar Saathi portal to prevent cyber crime and online frauds. "People can also immediately register a cyber crime complaint on 1930 cyber crime helpline," he said....