16122024-CT-01.qxd 12/15/2024 11:55 PM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune POLICE DETAIN 16 DURING SEARCH IN KHARAR SOCIETY ANSHUL CROWNED INDIAN GOLF UNION MEET CHAMP I WOULD NOT MANIPULATE MY VIEWERS: RITESH SHAH Cops carry out a search operation at Jalvayu Tower Society, Sunny Enclave, Kharar. P2 Anshul Mishra of WB overcame tough challenge by Karnataka's Varun to win the meet. P3 Had I been asked to put an item number in Pink, I would have walked away, says the Sardar Udham screen writer .P4 » » WHAT’S ON CHANDIGARH TFT Winter National Theatre Festival: Play ‘Maadhvi’ to be staged on December 16, Mini Auditorium, Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, 6:30 pm, entry free APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 43, 45 and Maloya Mohali: Phase V Panchkula: MDC, Sector 5 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com INBRIEF SNATCHERS TARGET TWO RESIDENTS Chandigarh: A biker snatched a mobile phone from a woman near a school in Sector 40. In another incident, Yogendra Kumar, a resident of Buterla village, Sector 41, reported that three youths snatched his phone near the grain market chowk in Sector 39. The police have registered cases and started investigation. TNS TWITTER/THETRIBUNECHD MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 22°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 22.7°C | MIN 4.9°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.25 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:12 AM » MONDAY | 16 DECEMBER 2024 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE 8K fall prey to cyber fraud in city, lose ~70 cr this year Police advise people to immediately report such crimes at helpline 1930 Amit Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 15 There has been a significant increase in the number of cybercrime complaints annually. The Cyber Crime Investigation Cell here has received nearly 8,150 complaints this year, with the victims losing a total of Rs 70 crore to fraudsters. The rising number of cyber complaints highlights the growing reach of fraudsters to technology. One of the latest tricks employed by scamsters is “digital arrest”. They pose as police or law enforcement officers, threaten their victims with arrest and force them into transferring large sums in specific accounts. Police officials have advised people to immediately report such frauds on helpline 1930, as timely intervention can help cops recover their hardearned money. “We managed to freeze and recover nearly Rs 7 crore from the bank accounts of fraudsters before they could withdraw or transfer money. This was possible only due to the timely reporting of crime by the victims,” said a police official. On December 9, a woman RISING CYBERCRIME COMPLAINTS NO. Sextortion, 1,599 blackmail, threat Debit/credit card fraud 698 Cheating through 633 online marketplaces Fraud involving 544 PIN/OTP requests Online investment scam 471 Job, visa fraud 382 COMPLAINTS Fake customer care centres “Canada Calling”* Loan scam Insurance claim fraud Hacking Online home-task scam Fake profile NO. 334 290 289 272 256 242 225 *Fraudsters posing as relatives YEAR PLAINTS 2018 3,167 2019 6,527 2021 5,922 2022 7,322 2023 was duped of Rs 11.06 lakh by fraudsters who claimed she had been implicated in a money-laundering case. When the woman realised she had been tricked, she promptly alerted cybercrime officials. They immediately froze the account, to which the money was transferred. This year, 13 complaints of digital arrest scam have been reported. Blackmail complaints, including sextortion 4,793 2020 7,815 and threat messages on social media, have been the most common cybercrime with 1,599 complaints. Other plaints include 698 of debit and credit card fraud, and 633 related to scams on online marketplaces such as OLX, wherein fraudsters posed as personnel of the armed forces to gain the victims’ trust. Besides, 544 complaints were made by people continued on page 2 c m y b TRIBUTE TO MASTER CREATOR: Family and friends of Nek Chand, creator of the Rock Garden, cut a cake to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary in Chandigarh on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Power staff won’t work under pvt firm: Federation Chandigarh, December 15 The Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) has stated that employees of the UT Power Department would not work under a private company. The employees continue their protest against the administration’s move to privatise the department. Today, an online meeting of the federation was organised to discuss the movement of the general public and employees against the proposed privatisation. The meeting was chaired by EEFI national vice-president and All-Haryana Power Corporations Workers Union president Suresh Rathi. The vice-president of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, Subhash Lamba, said it was unfortunate that despite strong opposition from the public and employees, the administration was handing over the assets to a private company from January 1. He stated that the electricity employees of UT Chandigarh would not work under the private company. Since the employees have been working in a government department and the service rules of the Central Government apply to them, they cannot be forced to work under any private com- pany, he said. Representatives from the states of Haryana, Punjab, HP and J&K gave a clear warning that if the administration took unilateral action and forcibly handed over the department in private hands on January 1, then the electricity employees of the four states might be forced to protest and go on strike. — TNS