Nagpur: West Nagpur MLA and President of the Nagpur City (District) Congress Committee, Vikas Thakre, has raised serious concerns over the rising cyber crime cases in Maharashtra, questioning the state government over the utilization of nearly ₹2,000 crore allegedly spent to curb cyber fraud. Thakre pointed out that the recovery rate of money lost in cyber crimes is only 2 percent, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the government’s measures.

Raising the issue during the ongoing Maharashtra State Budget Session in Mumbai, Thakre said that thousands of citizens across the state are falling victim to cyber fraud every day. However, the amount of money recovered from such scams remains extremely low, leading to growing anger and insecurity among the public.

Questioning the government’s strategy, Thakre asked that if around ₹2,000 crore has been spent on preventing cyber crimes and protecting citizens, why the public is not seeing any concrete results.

Responding to the concerns, the concerned minister assured that the government will increase awareness among citizens. The plan includes sending 21 crore awareness messages every month to people across the state and spending ₹34 crore on cyber crime awareness campaigns.

Thakre, however, stressed that merely talking about the ‘Golden Hour’ concept will not solve the problem. He emphasized the need for a real-time alert system to warn citizens before fraud occurs, faster investigation mechanisms, and the use of modern technology to quickly track down cyber criminals.

Stating that safeguarding the hard-earned money of citizens is the government’s fundamental responsibility, Thakre demanded immediate and effective measures to bring cyber crimes under control in Maharashtra.