Gandhinagar, July 22 — The Gujarat government on Wednesday launched a coordinated initiative involving banks and the police to strengthen the state's response to cyber fraud, with a particular focus on freezing stolen funds during the crucial "golden hour" immediately after a complaint is lodged.
The initiative was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, bringing together heads of leading banks, senior police officers and representatives of the Reserve Bank of India.
More than 5,300 officers and employees from bank branches across the state joined the meeting through video conference.
The discussions centred on improving coordination between banks and law enforcement to minimise financial losses suffered by victims of digital fraud.
Officials also reviewed cyber fraud cases reported so far and analysed related data to identify emerging fraud patterns and prepare preventive measures against future methods used by cyber criminals.
A key proposal discussed at the meeting was the development of a real-time mechanism that would enable banks to freeze funds transferred by fraud victims as quickly as possible after a complaint is made, increasing the chances of recovering the money.
According to the state government, Gujarat is the first state to undertake such an initiative in this manner.
Sanghavi said, "An in-depth analysis of cyber fraud cases and available data was essential to understand evolving patterns of crime and prevent citizens from becoming victims."
Highlighting the importance of swift action, Sanghavi said, "Even a delay of two minutes by the police or the bank in freezing an account could destroy a family's lifetime savings and social life. This is not merely a routine government protocol or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), but a sensitive effort to maintain citizens' trust in digital banking."
The Deputy Chief Minister also said senior citizens are among the most frequent targets of digital arrest scams and other forms of cyber fraud.
He urged bank staff to exercise greater vigilance when elderly customers seek to prematurely break fixed deposits or withdraw unusually large sums.
"Whenever a senior citizen comes to prematurely break or withdraw a large fixed deposit, bank staff should act sensitively and politely ask two or three questions to verify the purpose," he said.
Referring to an incident at a bank in Ahmedabad, Sanghavi commended the vigilance of bank employees, saying "their timely intervention had prevented a customer from losing several lakh rupees to fraudsters".
He also cautioned banks against compromising on quality and legal verification while pursuing targets for opening new accounts.
Officials at the meeting noted that the Home Department and senior police officers analyse data daily on cyber fraud calls, suspicious transactions and frozen amounts.
They said sharing real-time intelligence between banks and the police could further strengthen efforts to prevent cyber crime.
The meeting also emphasised the exchange of operational experience and suggestions between the banking sector and the police to improve coordination and deliver faster, more effective responses to cyber fraud.
Police personnel and bank representatives who played a significant role in helping save citizens' money in cyber fraud cases were honoured during the event.