India has established seven Joint Cyber Coordination Teams (JCCTs) to combat cybercrime hotspots across the country, marking a significant expansion of the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure. The initiative comes amid India’s broader crackdown on digital fraud, which has already led to the blocking of over 781,000 SIM cards linked to cybercrime activities.
The JCCTs, led by the Cyber and Information Security (CIS) Division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), are strategically positioned in Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, and Guwahati. These locations were chosen to address specific cybercrime hotspots and enhance cross-jurisdictional cooperation among law enforcement agencies, particularly in regions known for SIM swap fraud and digital payment scams.
Working together with major banks, financial intermediaries, payment aggregators, telecom service providers, and IT intermediaries, the JCCTs enable real-time response to cyber incidents. The collaborative approach allows for immediate action when cyber threats are detected, particularly important given the rising sophistication of digital payment fraud schemes and identity theft operations in India.
The CIS Division is also expanding its forensic capabilities through the National Cyber Forensic Laboratories (NCFL). The NCFL has processed over 11,200 cases, including forensic memory investigations and the analysis of 5,362 mobile phones related to cybercrime incidents. The forensic work has proven crucial in investigating cases like the PrintSteal KYC document fraud network, which involved thousands of counterfeit identity documents.
The government has announced plans to establish five additional regional centers of the NCFL to strengthen cyber forensic capabilities nationwide. The expansion supports the MHA’s recent initiatives to enhance digital security, including the verification of 680,000 suspicious mobile connections as part of its national security strategy. As part of this expansion, officials have proposed rebranding the NCFL as the National Digital Investigation Support Centre (N-DISC) to better reflect its role in digital investigations and cybersecurity.
Sources: The New Indian Express, News18, CyberPeace
Follow Us