Bhopal residents lost more than Rs 35.3 crore to cyber fraud between January 1 and September 30, 2026, as police received 4,179 complaints and continued to face delays in converting reports into e-Zero FIRs. The figures highlight the pressure on the state’s cyber-crime response system, where complaint volumes are significantly higher than the number of cases formally registered.
During the period, 962 e-Zero FIRs were forwarded by the state cyber-crime headquarters, of which 943 were registered as regular FIRs at police stations across Bhopal. Police officials said the threshold for registering an e-Zero FIR has been reduced from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25,000, but the number of complaints continues to exceed the number of FIRs processed.
A senior state cyber-crime officer said victims who call the national cyber-crime helpline 1930 are automatically redirected to Dial-112. The Dial-112 team issues a token number and forwards basic details, including the complainant’s name and mobile number, to the state cyber-crime headquarters. Many victims mistake this token for an e-Zero FIR number, although it only marks the beginning of the registration process, the officer said.
The state cyber-crime headquarters receives between 1,500 and 1,600 complaints every day, according to the officer. Five teams have been formed to call victims back and collect the information required to register e-Zero FIRs. Two teams are based in Bhopal, one in Indore and two in Gwalior. Completing the prescribed format for a single complaint takes between 20 and 30 minutes, limiting the number of cases that can be handled immediately.
Around 65% of victims now receive a callback on the day of their complaint, compared with about 29% earlier, the officer said. Another senior police official said the state cyber-crime headquarters in Bhopal has a manpower strength of only 255 personnel. More than 6,000 e-Zero FIRs had been registered at the headquarters by August 31 since the system was launched on December 25, 2025.
Bhopal Police Commissionerate has deployed specially trained cyber personnel at cyber help desks across all 37 police stations. The desks have been divided into three categories according to complaint volumes. Twelve stations that received more than 500 complaints have been placed in Category A and assigned six cyber cops each. Twenty-three stations with 100 to 499 complaints are in Category B, with four cyber cops each. Stations with fewer than 100 complaints, including the Mahila police station and the SC/ST police station, are in Category C and have two cyber cops each.
The figures show that cyber-fraud losses in Bhopal stood at Rs 53.42 crore in 2025 and Rs 35.31 crore during the first nine months of 2026. Police froze Rs 14.65 crore in bank accounts used by cyber criminals during the current period, compared with Rs 15.54 crore in 2025. Refunds to complainants rose to Rs 4.56 crore in 2026, against Rs 4.34 crore last year. Police arrested 57 cyber criminals during the period, compared with 152 in 2025.
SP, State Cyber-Crime Headquarters, Bhopal, Pranay Nagvanshi, advised victims to call 1930 immediately after a cyber-crime incident. If the helpline does not connect, victims can file a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, submitting transaction details and other information required for e-Zero FIR registration. Additional DCP (Crime Branch) Shailendra Singh Chouhan also urged residents to exercise caution when responding to calls or messages from unknown numbers.
