By Krishna P S and Shainu Mohan| Express News Service |Published: 05th May 2023 11:34 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two cyber crimes rocked Kerala in the past few days. In one case, 26-year-old V M Athira of Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam ended her life on Monday allegedly due to cyber harassment by her ex-boyfriend Arun Vidhyadharan, 34. He was found dead in a lodge in Kasaragod on Thursday.

Athiras relaive said, the two broke up a year ago as the relationship had turned toxic. However, when she registered herself on a matrimony site, Arun allegedly got infuriated and started stalking her. When she got a proposal, he started uploading her photos on his Facebook page, along with offensive remarks.

The relative said, she had filed a complaint with the local police station on Sunday. Arun, meanwhile, continued uploading nasty posts on Facebook. However, on Monday, she was found hanging in her room, the relative said.

In another incident, a minor student reportedly approached a hacker on Instagram to retrieve nude images she had sent to her ex-lover. Subsequently, the hacker started blackmailing her for money. When she filed a complaint, the police arrested and charged the hacker under POCSO Act.

These two cases are just the tip of the iceberg, says forensic specialist and author Dr Veena J S. We are all part of the cyber world. And as we become more evolved technologically, such crimes are bound to see a rise.Veena adds she has come across three women who were victims of online bullying and harassment. None of them, however, filed complaints, she notes.

Though there is personal trauma, shame and self-blame prevent many survivors from approaching the police and seek action, but one should take charge and find a solution. That means reporting the crime. But in these three cases, the women did not feel comfortable approaching the police.

Pics on adult website

It was a nightmare, says poet and activist Chithira Kusum, who faced cyber harassment last November. Someone downloaded the photos that I had posted on Facebook and uploaded them on an adult website with obscene captions. After one of my friends alerted me, I immediately approached the police cyber cell to file a complaint. But their response was insensitive and lackadaisical. The first officer I spoke to responded with laughter. Why didnt you lock your profile? he asked.

When Chithira insisted that she wanted to file a complaint, another officer tried to discourage her. They said if the profile was not locked, such things would keep happening, she recalls.They grumbled that they were not even able to nab frauds who had stolen money via Facebook. They found my case trivial. When I insisted, they asked me to file a complaint via email.

Chithira provided the URL of the site and informed them that photos of about 420 women were uploaded on it. But the officers said each of the women should file individual cases, she adds. Its been six months, there is no update and the photos are still there on that site.

Inaction, lack of awareness

According to cybercrime investigator Dhanya Menon, most cyber harassment cases are not reported. Even if a person wants to file a complaint, the police dissuade them. They act only when a suicide or suicide attempt or murder happens due to cyber harrassment, she says.

High Court lawyer Sandhya Raju George echoes similar views, adding that the police remain cold to such complaints unless there is pressure. If a lawyer or senior official goes with the survivor, the polices response will be positive, she says.It will be great if at least two officers in a station are trained on how to sensitively deal with victims of online harassment, revenge porn and cyberbullying.

Men, too

Lawyer founder of the NGO Cyber Suraksha Foundation Jiyas Jamal highlights that men, too, face cyberbullying. Nowadays, people get messages from mystery women, asking whether they want to chat. If you respond, the chat begins, and then come explicit videos, he says. Next, they will ask for a video in return. Some gullible people send their videos and, with that, starts the blackmail.

Jiyas says most incidents happen on social media and unregistered dating sites. Often, the victims feel ashamed to speak out about such cases, even with close friends, he adds. Our society considers watching porn shameful; so one can imagine the case of sharing nude photos or videos.

Another issue is the lengthy legal process, he notes. In most cases where a perpetrator is a known person, victims tend to compromise, says Jiyas. Most people, especially women, feel reluctant to appear in court in such cases. Unless the conviction rate rises, there wont be fear among people about committing such crimes.

Jiyas, however, believes the police have become proactive in curbing cyber cases, though the focus is more on financial fraud. Lack of quick response from social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram is another hindrance in cyberbullying cases, he notes.Even if problematic content is reported, or the police ask for details of the accused, the response from these sites is lethargic.

Government should act

Activist and lawyer J Sandhya highlights that there are legal loopholes and a lack of proper mechanisms to address cyber issues. The Supreme Court has scrapped Section 66 A of the IT Act, which gave the police the power to arrest a person for posting offensive content online, she explains.We cannot blame the police for not acting on complaints they are powerless in some cases. Its an unfortunate situation, where the system is unable to help the victims of online harassment.

Sandhya says the state government had initiated a discussion and even came up with a draft law to regulate the online space. But nothing materialised. The draft was poorly written and needed revision. Its high time the government took necessary action and prevented such crimes, she adds.

Major offence

The police department has a 24/7 helpline (1930) for registering cybercrime. On average, we get 70 to 80 complaints daily, says ADGP (Cyber Operations) T Vikram. The majority of them are cyber frauds. The number of complaints relating to cyberbullying is negligible.

Vikram adds that people are hesitant to come forward and complain about cyberbullying and harassment. We have a very efficient system and cyberbullying is a major offence. Every police station is supposed to promptly act on complaints of crimes, he says.When TNIE contacted the helpline, an official guided us to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) to report cases related to cyber harassment.

Senior CPO at the Kochi cyber cell Ineesh P S, meanwhile, says the conviction rate is low in cyber-harassment cases. Many cases get compromised after filing the FIR or as soon as the case reaches court, especially if the accused is known to the complainant, he adds.

Cyber security expert Manu Zacharia says that there are three key points to keep in mind. Whenever an issue crops up, immediately speak to a trusted person; do not yield to demands of preparators; and report the crime, he explains.Manu adds the police should be alert to new methods of crimes, as cyberspace is constantly evolving. They should also make the public aware of new traps, he says.

Three Cs for children

Consultant psychologist and co-founder of Swaraksha Charitable Trust Anu Suraj stresses on the three Cs children should be taughtContact: Children should be aware of who is contacting them, and avoid engaging with unknown entitiesContent: They should be equipped to identify the kind of content they are seeing and sent to them, and judge whether it is safeConduct: How to respond safely, whom to trust, etc.Anu says if a student feels unsafe or falls prey to a trap, they should open up to a trusted adult. That is why awareness should reach not only children but parents, police, teachers, councillors and NGOs as well, she says.

Helpline numbers

National Police Helpline number: 112National Women Helpline number: 181Cyber Crime Helpline number: 1930Or visit, https://cybercrime.gov.in/ to file complaint

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