Delayed FIR Diminishes Recovery Of Digitally Stolen Money
The officer said the delay in getting the FIR registered will diminish the chance of recovery of their money. “Time is of the essence, reporting in the Golden Hour is crucial,” the DCP stressed. “Delay will make you lose your money."
Hyderabad: As the incidence of cybercrime cases is on the rise in the state, the police have asked people who have lost money in a digital fraud to register an FIR in addition to reporting the fraud to the national cyber fraud helpline 1930, to increase the chances of recovering their money.
According to Rachakonda Cybercrime DCP S.V. Naga Laxmi, reporting the fraud on the 1930 helpline is the first step, which has to be followed by getting an FIR registered by the local police. "Without a formal complaint from the victim, the police cannot file a First Information Report (FIR), which will form the basis for the probe.”
"Only after an FIR is filed, we can access bank account details of the accused and understand the modus operandi of the crime. But many victims stop at just calling 1930, as they are unaware of the importance of registering the FIR. Sometimes, we call the victims for a follow-up, but we get reckless answers. They don’t realise that their loss is a crime, which requires an official investigation.”
The officer said the delay in getting the FIR registered will diminish the chance of recovery of their money. “Time is of the essence, reporting in the Golden Hour is crucial,” the DCP stressed. “Delay will make you lose your money."
Once the money is recovered from an accused through the court, the money will be distributed among the victims. If the first victim had delayed filing the FIR, but the second victim promptly reported it, the money will go to the second victim, who quickly acted on registering the crime through the FIR. “It is like a first-come, first-served situation, which is unfortunate for those who wait too long or are unable to follow up.”
A 40-year-old woman, who lost `31 lakh in an online trading scam, explained the impact of delay in legal action. “I invested my money believing that a trading site was genuine, but only they turned out to be fake. Later, I complained to the police but could not attend court proceedings in January and February because of a family tragedy and other personal issues. By then, someone else filed a complaint against the same accused, and their recovery was prioritised," said the victim.
