Rajasthan Police introduces automatic e-Zero FIR for cyber fraud of Rs 1 lakh or more
Jaipur, July 23
In a major move to strengthen action against cyber financial crimes, the Rajasthan Police has introduced the automatic registration of e-Zero FIRs for cyber fraud cases involving Rs 1 lakh or more.
The new system came into effect across the state on Thursday, following orders issued by Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumaar Sharma. The DGP has issued detailed guidelines to all Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Police Commissioners, directing them to implement the revised procedure with immediate effect.
The decision follows directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and aims to ensure faster legal intervention, immediate freezing of defrauded funds, and quicker investigation and arrest of cyber criminals.
Additional Director General (Cyber Crime), V.K. Singh, said that Rajasthan's earlier e-FIR system applied only to cyber financial fraud cases involving Rs 5 lakh or more. The threshold has now been reduced to Rs 1 lakh, allowing many more victims to receive immediate legal protection.
Under the new system, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (I4C), the 1930 Cyber Helpline, and the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) have been integrated.
As soon as a complaint involving cyber fraud of Rs 1 lakh or above is registered through the portal or helpline, an e-Zero FIR will be automatically generated at the concerned state cyber police station.
According to ADG V.K. Singh, police officers will no longer wait for the complainant's physical signature before initiating legal action.
Upon registration of an e-Zero FIR, authorities will immediately begin measures such as freezing suspected bank accounts, placing holds on fraudulent transactions, collecting call detail records (CDRs), Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDRs), CCTV footage, and other digital evidence
These steps are intended to prevent cyber criminals from withdrawing or transferring stolen funds and to speed up investigations.
Victims have been urged to report cyber fraud immediately by calling the 1930 Cyber Helpline to maximise the chances of recovering lost money.
Under the revised procedure, the complainant must visit the concerned police station within 72 hours of the e-Zero FIR registration to sign the printed copy of the FIR.
If the complainant fails to appear within the stipulated period, a notice will be issued. However, the police will continue the preliminary investigation and other necessary legal proceedings without interruption.
The new guidelines also specify the investigating authority based on the amount involved: Fraud of Rs 1 crore or more: Investigation will be conducted by the State Cyber Crime Police Station, Jaipur.
Fraud between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1 crore: Investigation will be handled by the concerned district cyber police station or the local police station, as directed by the District Superintendent of Police (SP) or Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
DGP Rajiv Kumar Sharma said that after establishing the Rajasthan Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (R4C) on the lines of the Centre's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the Rajasthan Police has been continuously adopting modern technology and strengthening legal mechanisms to tackle cyber crime.
He said the automatic e-Zero FIR system represents a major step towards technology-driven, victim-centric policing, enabling quicker relief for victims and more effective action against cyber criminals.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is exactly what our system needed! 🎉 The old threshold of ₹5 lakh was way too high—most middle-class families get scammed for smaller amounts like ₹50,000 or ₹2 lakh, and they had no quick remedy. Now with an automatic e-Zero FIR for frauds over ₹1 lakh, thousands of victims will get faster relief. But I hope the 72-hour deadline for visiting the police station to sign is enforced sensibly. If someone lives far away or is elderly, they might struggle. Still, a huge improvement! Cyber cell in Jaipur has been doing good work, and this integration with I4C and 1930 helpline is a game-changer.
Good move, but let's be realistic. I've dealt with Rajasthan Police cyber cell before—they have good intentions but execution is often slow. Automatic e-Zero FIR sounds great on paper, but will the integration between I4C, CCTNS, and 1930 helpline actually work seamlessly? In smaller districts, internet connectivity issues could delay the automatic generation. Also, not everyone has a smartphone or knows how to use the portal. Rural victims still depend on the local thana, where many constables are not tech-savvy. The DGP should announce parallel training programs for ground-level staff. But yes, it's a positive step in the right direction. 👍
As someone who reported a cyber fraud at the Jaipur cyber cell last year, I can say the process was painfully slow. I had to visit the station 3 times just to submit documents. This automatic e-Zero FIR system removes those initial hurdles, which is brilliant. 🎯 The immediate freezing of accounts is the most crucial part—once the money moves out of India through crypto or mule accounts, recovery becomes nearly impossible. But I hope the victim doesn't receive any harassment or delays when they do visit to sign the FIR within 72 hours. Also, what about cases below ₹1 lakh? Many people lose ₹20k or more—they need relief too. Maybe next step?
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