E-Zero FIR is a digital scheme introduced by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is regarded as part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, in order to enhance reporting and investigation of high value cyber financial frauds.
In a very simple way, it works like this, a complaint of online financial fraud (e.g., a UPI scam, a phishing attempt, or another form of cyber financial fraud) made through the national cybercrime reporting portal or helpline number 1930, and, at the same time, the value of the loss is over a certain threshold initially, Rs 10 lakh .
The system will automatically compile a so called Zero FIR (First Information Report) electronically, not with standing the police station or jurisdiction the reporting individual is located in.
Conventionally, the victims were to visit the police station within the jurisdiction of the occurrence of the offense to have an FIR registered, and this usually resulted in delays and confusion.
The e-Zero FIR reverses this by making jurisdictional barriers a thing of the past and expediting the registration of FIR.
To be specific:
- The above mentioned complaint of financial cyber fraud of more than Rs10 lakh (in the first pilot) shall be automatically transferred to a Zero FIR unit at the special e-Crime Police Station (Delhi) and accordingly channeled to the appropriate Cybercrime Police Station depending on the place of origin of the victim.
- The complainant is afterwards expected to come to the police office within three days to have the Zero FIR transformed into an ordinary FIR to proceed with all investigations associated with it.
- The system combines the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the e-FIR system of Delhi Police, and the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)
Notably, this initiative falls within the larger legal framework of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS, 2023) that is correlated with sections that allow registering FIRs digitally first.
The Reason and the Help It Provides in Cybercrime Reporting
Speed and early action
Time is essential in cyber financial frauds. Money can be readily transferred across accounts or laundered or sent abroad. Delay in FIR registration normally lowers the chances of freezing accounts or reclaiming money.
Using e-Zero FIR, FIR registration will occur automatically, and that will serve to start the investigation more quickly, which will increase the likelihood of recovery and arrests.
Eliminating jurisdiction barriers
Cybercrimes normally have cross border (or national border) implications. In the olden days, a victim may be unaware of the police station to visit, or the station may reject his registration due to lack of jurisdiction.
In e-Zero FIR, a victim can be registered anywhere, at one central e-Crime station, before redirecting to the appropriate jurisdiction. This eliminates one of the great bottlenecks.
Convenience and victim centrism
The victims do not have to visit a police station physically first to have an FIR initiated. The digital process implies that the stage of filing is possible to do online via the portal or helpline, which makes the process more convenient and less frustrating. This promotes further reporting as an element that would address cybercrime.
Improved translation of complaints into FIRs
This is one of the historical problems about cyber fraud, a significant portion of complaints remain unchanged into FIRs, preventing any legal action and recovery.
e-Zero FIR solves this by fully automating the translation of qualified complaints into an FIR, increasing the chances of a formal investigation.
Combined knowledge and research ecosystem
The initiative creates an interoperative investigation framework through the integration of reporting (NCRP), police e-FIR systems, and national crime databases (CCTNS).
It will imply an accelerated exchange of intelligence, enhanced surveillance of suspects, and more efficient investigations.
Pilot phase and scaling up
The program was introduced as a pilot in Delhi with the break-even points of greater than Rs10 lakh.
In the long run, the scheme is bound to be expanded to include other financial cyber cases in all states and in the union territories.
What This Means to You (Assuming that you are a victim)
In case of an online financial fraud:
- You can report with the help of the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal or at 1930.
- In case the loss exceeds the fixed limit of Rs10 lakh during the pilot phase, your complaint may automatically be transformed to an e-Zero FIR, without your first attending to a police station.
- Following such an automatic registration, you have to visit the cyber police station during the stipulated period (3 days) to sign and transform the Zero FIR into a normal FIR.
- The timelier, the better, and the chances of returning the fraud’s money transfer and increasing the chances of recovery.
In fighting cyber financial fraud, the e-Zero FIR initiative is a step towards success in India. It makes FIR registration more speedy, digitalized, and jurisdiction free, enhancing the support structure of victims, making the investigations faster, and trying to smooth the gap between making a complaint and committing a crime.
Such simplified systems will be essential in achieving confidence in online banking and Internet transactions as cybercrime extends and takes more sophisticated forms.
