Pune Tops Cyber Crime Losses in Maharashtra, Rs 6,007 Crore Stolen in 2024
Pune, 07 March 2025: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis revealed in a written response during the ongoing Assembly session in Mumbai that Pune recorded the highest financial losses due to cyber fraud in 2024, amounting to ₹6,007 crore across 1,504 cases.
Across Maharashtra’s major cities—Pune, Mumbai, Thane, and Nagpur—7,245 cyber fraud cases were registered last year, with total losses estimated at ₹7,132 crore. Mumbai reported 4,849 cases with a total fraud amount of ₹888 crore, Thane saw 680 cases with ₹174 crore lost, and Nagpur recorded 212 cases involving ₹63 crore in fraud.
Pune’s Cyber Fraud Losses Surpass Other Cities
Pune’s financial losses due to cybercrime exceeded the combined total of Mumbai, Thane, and Nagpur by nearly five times, raising concerns among cybersecurity experts and law enforcement officials. Analysts pointed out that the fraud amount in Pune alone is higher than the annual budget of several municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Nagpur, Nashik, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Large-Scale GST Fraud Skews Pune’s Figures
Senior police officials clarified that Pune’s cyber fraud losses appear disproportionately high due to two major cases of GST fraud amounting to ₹5,000 crore and ₹561 crore.
“If we exclude these two cases, the total cyber fraud amount in Pune stands at ₹446 crore, which is actually lower than Mumbai’s ₹888 crore loss,” a senior Pune police officer explained.
Police Response and Investigation Challenges
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar stated that law enforcement is focusing on freezing fraudulent bank accounts within the “golden hours” to recover stolen funds.
“We are prioritizing timely intervention to ensure that victims get their money back before cyber fraudsters can withdraw or transfer it,” Kumar said.
The city police had earlier reported a 776% increase in online scam cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. To combat the rising cyber threat, Kumar emphasized that officers are being provided specialized training to strengthen investigations.
Experts Call for Better Awareness and Faster Investigations
Cybercrime experts believe that a lack of public awareness and delays in investigations are key reasons for the rise in fraud cases.
Highlighting initiatives taken by the Maharashtra government, CM Fadnavis stated that 50 dedicated cyber police stations have been established across the state, with trained personnel deployed to handle cases.
“We have also set up the ‘Centre of Excellence in Digital Forensic’ in Pune to aid forensic investigations related to cyber frauds,” Fadnavis said.
Additionally, the state’s Home Department is developing a semi-automated processing system to speed up pending investigations and enhance the efficiency of cybercrime case analysis.
With the rising threat of online fraud, authorities and experts stress the importance of public awareness, faster response times, and stricter regulatory enforcement to prevent financial losses in the future.
