The first cyber cell of the Indian Railways will open in Pune within a month. The cell will look after cyber crime and fraud cases related to the Railways, a senior Pune rail division official said. “Investigations, including cyber fraud cases, will be precise. The team will be able to probe the cases scientifically, observe and crack the use of software used to cheat people, monitor the online money transactions made by travel agents and screen cellphones of the accused and the victims,” a Pune rail division official said.
The cell will also send messages about the dangers and examples of cyber fraud to passengers. At present, the Indian Railways does not have a cyber crime cell. All cyber crime-related cases in connection with the Railways will be handled in Pune. The cell will be set up at the office of the divisional railway manager, Pune division. It will be manned by the personnel of the Railway Protection Force.
Help will be sought from the Pune police’s cyber crime cell. “The state police also has a full-fledged structure to investigate such cases. We are taking their help too,” the official said. “The cell will be effective as there are cyber crime related incidents with the Railways,” the official said.
The Railways had set-up a committee in the railway board to explore the setting up of such a cell in January . “The decision was approved by the board. A team of eight personnel from the RPF will man the cell,” the official said. “They will be trained. The team will grow once it is functional,” the official added. Last year, the Railways had requested the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block 19 websites over concerns of misuse of the automation software on the IRCTC’s website.
