Sajjanar Launches C-Mitra to Help Citizens Register Cybercrime FIRs from Home

The initiative aims to provide immediate relief to citizens facing distress due to the rising tide of digital crimes, including OTP frauds, digital arrests, investment, and trading scams. Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar stated that this "virtual police officer" system leverages technology to bring policing to the doorstep of the common man.

According to Sajjanar, the C-Mitra service is exclusively available to residents living within the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate jurisdiction. The victims must first report the cyber fraud by calling the ‘1930’ helpline or lodging a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in).

Once reported, ‘Virtual Police Officers’ from the C-Mitra team will contact the victim. Since many victims are unsure about legal terminology or relevant sections of the law, the C-Mitra team, utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI), will draft a precise complaint based on the details provided and send it to the victim.

The victim is required to take a printout of the draft, sign it, and send it via post or courier to the following address: Cyber Mitra Help Desk, Station House Officer, Cyber Crime Police Station, Commissioner’s Office, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad - 500029.

Alternatively, a drop box is available at the Cyber Crime Police Station where victims can deposit the signed complaint copies. Upon receiving the physical copy, the police will register the FIR and send the details to the victim via SMS.

While physical signatures are currently mandatory, officials mentioned that a digital signature option is being explored for the future. To streamline investigations, the police have introduced specific thresholds for case registration under C-Mitra: Any loss exceeding Rs.3 lakh, the FIRs will be registered and investigated at the Cyber Crime Police Station.

If any loss below Rs.3 lakh then these will be registered as a ‘Zero FIR’ and transferred to the respective local law and order police station for further investigation.

According to the police, registering an FIR physically takes an average of three hours. C-Mitra aims to save citizens' time and allow station staff to focus on investigation. Currently, only 18 per cent of complaints received on the ‘1930’ helpline and national portal are converted into FIRs.

The department has set a target to increase this conversion rate to 100 per cent through C-Mitra. The virtual helpdesk will operate from 8 am to 8 pm, supported by a 24-member team equipped with AI tools. To protect citizens from phishing and fake callers, the police issued the following safety guidelines:

● Official calls from C-Mitra will originate only from the landline number 040-4189-3111.

● WhatsApp communications will strictly come from numbers starting with the 87126 series.

● Staff will never ask for OTPs or demand money.

The police clarified that C-Mitra is strictly a facilitation desk for FIR registration. It does not conduct investigations, offer legal advice, or guarantee the recovery of lost funds. For updates on case status or recovery, victims must contact the police station where the FIR has been lodged or transferred.