Over ₹1,000 Crore Lost to Cyber Fraud in Madhya Pradesh Over 4 Years, Recovery Below 0.2%

quick summary

• Madhya Pradesh has recorded cyber fraud cases amounting too ₹1,054 crore in the past four years,from May 1,2021,to July 13,2025.
• Only ₹1.94 crore (less than 0.2% of the total) has been recovered and returned to victims thus far.
• ₹105.21 crore is currently on hold but not yet returned.
• A total of 6,046 cyber fraud cases were reported in over five years (January 2020 – July 15, 2025), with the highest number being registered in 2024 (1,193 cases).
• Data was cited from the National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP) and Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).
• Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh criticized the low recovery rate and blamed inadequate police preparedness and weak coordination between agencies for poor outcomes.
• Concerns were raised about digital infrastructure and also policing efficiency since Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan heads both governance and law enforcement.

[Image description: Image for depiction only | Photo Credit: Reuters]

Indian Opinion Analysis

The reported figures raise serious concerns about the adequacy of India’s cybersecurity infrastructure at a time when digital transactions are becoming increasingly integral to daily life. The low recovery rate suggests that coordination gaps among investigating agencies, financial institutions, and law enforcement need immediate attention. Additionally, while increased incident reporting reflects greater awareness or usage of online platforms like UPI for financial transactions in states such as Madhya pradesh-home to India’s growing IT-based growth-the data underscores critical vulnerabilities that could lead to mistrust among users.

For long-term economic stability and public confidence in digital payment systems championed at national levels-including initiatives like Digital India-it will be crucial for state governments to invest appropriately in improving police training on tech-related crimes as well as fostering tighter inter-agency collaboration. Such steps should focus not just on detection but also on effective fund tracing mechanisms.

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