Bhubaneswar, Jul 30: In a major step to strengthen cybercrime investigations, Odisha is set to establish a State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) to improve coordination among law enforcement agencies and dismantle organised cyber fraud networks operating across states.

The move comes amid growing concerns over the inability of investigators to trace the masterminds behind cyber frauds. Police have largely been able to arrest only first-level agents and benami bank account holders, while the kingpins operating behind multi-layered cybercrime syndicates continue to evade the law. Investigators also face difficulties in recovering defrauded money from intermediaries and account holders.

Officials said the lack of inter-departmental coordination has emerged as a major challenge. Delays in accessing information on benami bank accounts, shell companies, and cybercriminal records through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, along with inadequate information-sharing between states, have hampered investigations.

To address these issues, the proposed S4C will function as the state's nodal agency for cybercrime investigations. It will coordinate with cyber police units across the country and integrate technical experts, telecom operators, banking institutions, legal authorities and law enforcement agencies to enable faster investigations and improve conviction rates.

A senior Crime Branch official said the S4C will function as a dedicated police unit under the Director General of Police (DGP). Headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), the centre will report directly to the Police Headquarters. It will comprise separate wings to oversee cyber investigations, cyber operations and enforcement while streamlining the functioning of cyber police stations and cyber cells across Odisha.

Cybersecurity expert Lingaraj Sethi said the new coordination centre would significantly enhance the state's ability to combat organised cybercrime. He noted that the existing Computer Emergency Response Team-Odisha (CERT-O) has become less effective, while delays in information sharing between the Crime Branch Cyber Cell and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) have affected the efficiency of investigations.

According to official sources, ten states—including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal—have already established similar coordination centres. Last month, Home Department Joint Secretary Minakshi Behera wrote to the Director General of Police recommending the establishment of the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre in Odisha.