By Krishna Dua 
Assam Police Launch Major Cyber Security Drive 2026
Assam Police has rolled out one of the most comprehensive state-level cyber security offensives in recent years with the formal launch of “Cyber Suraksha Assam – 2026” on 1 February 2026. The initiative, personally monitored by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and DGP G.P. Singh, aims to curb the alarming surge in cyber fraud, digital arrest scams, sextortion, job fraud and cryptocurrency-related offences that have cost citizens of the state over ₹780 crore in 2025 alone. The programme combines aggressive enforcement, technology upgradation, massive public awareness, rapid victim-support mechanisms and unprecedented inter-agency coordination.
Scale of the Cyber Crime Crisis in Assam (2025 Baseline)
In calendar year 2025 Assam Police Cyber Crime Wing (APCCW) and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal recorded 15,920 complaints from Assam residents—an increase of 51 % over 2024. Key categories:
- Digital arrest / impersonation of officials: 38 %
- UPI / bank fraud / fake investment apps: 29 %
- Online sextortion & blackmail: 16 %
- Job & loan fraud: 11 %
- Ransomware & data theft: 6 %
Average financial loss per reported fraud case: ₹4.9 lakh. Total estimated loss in 2025: ₹780–820 crore. Guwahati contributed 41 % of complaints, followed by Dibrugarh (9 %), Jorhat (7 %), Silchar (6 %), Nagaon (5 %) and Tezpur (4 %). Rural districts (Goalpara, Barpeta, Darrang, Sonitpur) showed the sharpest percentage rise (68–92 % YoY), driven by increased smartphone penetration and low digital literacy.
Core Components of Cyber Suraksha Assam – 2026
1. State Cyber Security Operations Centre (SCSOC) – Full 24×7 Operations
Phase 1 of SCSOC became fully operational on 15 January 2026 inside the Assam Police Headquarters complex in Guwahati. The facility includes:
- Security Operations Centre with SIEM, EDR, threat-intelligence feeds from CERT-In & NCIIPC
- Digital Forensics Lab equipped with Cellebrite UFED, Oxygen Forensic Detective, Magnet AXIOM
- Dark-web & social-media monitoring suite
- Isolated sandbox environment for malware analysis
- Dedicated 200 Mbps secure internet link
Current staffing: 48 personnel (30 cyber police + 18 technical analysts). Planned strength by end-2026: 140.
2. District-Level Cyber Police Expansion
All 35 districts now have dedicated Cyber Police Stations / Cells with minimum 6–8 personnel each. Guwahati City, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Silchar and Tezpur have full-fledged Cyber Police Stations with 14–20 staff, forensic workstations and dedicated vehicles.
3. Rapid Fund-Recovery “Golden Hour” Protocol
Assam Police signed MoUs with 16 major banks (SBI, PNB, HDFC, Axis, ICICI, Canara, Union Bank, etc.) operating in the state. Key features:
- Dedicated nodal officers in every bank branch
- 90-minute SLA for freezing accounts linked to reported fraud
- Inter-bank coordination cell inside SCSOC
- Real-time UPI reversal requests through NPCI
In January 2026 alone, ₹16.2 crore was recovered from 1,940 complaints (average recovery ₹83,500 per case)—more than double the amount recovered in January 2025.
4. “Cyber Dost” & Massive Public Awareness Drive
Launched on Republic Day (26 January 2026), the campaign includes:
- Daily 30-second AV capsules on Doordarshan Assam, Assam Talks, DY365, Ramdhenu, News Live
- Weekly cyber-safety classes in 1,500 schools & colleges
- “Cyber Dost” WhatsApp channel (launched 1 February) crossed 1.8 lakh subscribers in five days
- Multilingual posters, pamphlets and audio jingles in Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Santali
- “Cyber Suraksha Van” mobile awareness vehicle touring rural districts
5. Capacity Building & International Linkages
- 280 cyber police personnel trained in January 2026 (basic & advanced digital forensics, cryptocurrency tracing, dark-web monitoring)
- Collaboration with CERT-In, NCIIPC, INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (Singapore), Singapore Police Force Cyber Crime Unit
- “Cyber Shield 2026” drill (28–30 January) involved 22 banks, 11 telecom operators, 6 critical infrastructure entities and CERT-In
Political & Administrative Leadership
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reviewed progress on 2 February 2026 and directed:
- Additional ₹92 crore allocation in 2026–27 budget for cyber infrastructure
- Creation of 350 new cyber-police posts in 2026–27
- Mandatory cyber-hygiene training for all state government employees by July 2026
- One-day cyber-safety orientation for every school teacher in Assam
DGP G.P. Singh personally monitors high-value fraud cases daily and has instructed all Superintendents of Police to treat cyber complaints on par with heinous crimes.
Early Results & Public Response
- Cyber complaints portal registrations from Assam rose 44 % in January 2026 vs December 2025
- “Cyber Dost” WhatsApp channel reached 1.8 lakh subscribers in five days
- 71 % of January fraud victims contacted police within 24 hours (up from 44 % in 2025), leading to higher recovery rates
- Public feedback on social media and local TV channels has been overwhelmingly positive, with many citizens crediting faster police response and visible awareness drives
Remaining Challenges
- Conviction rate in cyber cases remains low (nationally ~7–9 %; Assam ~6.5 % in 2025) due to inter-state coordination delays and evidentiary issues
- Rapid evolution of fraud techniques (AI voice cloning, deepfake video calls, crypto-mule networks)
- Digital literacy gap in rural Assam (only 35 % of rural complainants use the national portal; most approach local police stations)
Conclusion
The “Cyber Suraksha Assam – 2026” initiative marks one of the most ambitious and well-coordinated state-level responses to the cyber-crime epidemic in India. By combining dedicated infrastructure, rapid-response mechanisms, massive public awareness, strong political will and inter-agency coordination, Assam Police has already achieved measurable results—higher reporting, faster fund recovery and growing public trust.
As cyber offences grow in both volume and sophistication, Assam’s proactive model could serve as a blueprint for other states. Sustained execution, improved conviction rates and continuous upgradation of technical capabilities will determine whether the state can transform from a high-risk zone to one of the safest digital environments in the country.
For now, the message from Dispur is unmistakable: Assam will no longer be an easy target in the digital world.