Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police has decided to take on the menace of festering digital fraud head-on by creating a special wing in its intelligence department.
It will track conspiracies being hatched in the cyber world to carry out criminal activities and nip in the bud baseless reports or posts that can fan trouble.
The 'cyber intelligence wing' was envisaged after realising that the conventional method of policing - officials collecting confidential information from the field - was no longer sufficient in the digital realm. The police have handed over the recommendation in this regard to the state home department.
Two of the four pieces of equipment required for this purpose would be bought from other countries, including Israel. The two other pieces would have to be developed by the Kerala Police. An expansive network will be formed by incorporating the post of the superintendent of Police (technology) into the new intelligence wing.
Many of the riots and clashes that took place in other states recently were triggered by some hashtag campaigns on social media. Some of these were started from foreign lands.
The report of central agencies stating that attempts to stoke trouble in Tamil Nadu were made on social media by sources in Sri Lanka was shared with the state intelligence department.
Social media is also being used to incite hostilities by misrepresenting the decisions taken by the government and even minor issues that occur in local areas. The cyber space is being misused for drug trafficking and terrorist activities as well.
