The Haryana Police have introduced a major reform to ensure quick and easy justice for people affected by cyber fraud. Under the direction of DGP OP Singh, the state police, along with the Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HALSA), have created a new system.
Under this, the defrauded amount, once ‘blocked’ in the bank account, will be returned to the victim directly through Lok Adalat, without needing a long legal process or a lawyer.
This arrangement has been introduced mainly for cases where the money was blocked right after the complaint was filed, but no FIR has been registered yet.
DGP OP Singh said, “The biggest problem in cybercrime is that despite the victim’s money being blocked, they had to run around courts to get it back.
Understanding this human challenge, Haryana Police presented this simple and effective model before the government and judiciary. Now, no cyber fraud victim in Haryana will have to leave their rightful money to fate. Together, we have ensured that victims get quick relief and justice.”
He urged people to quickly report fraud during the ‘golden hour’ by calling 1930 so that police can save their money.
Haryana Police played a key role in getting this new system approved. The police had asked the state government and HALSA to include applications for release or de-freezing of blocked cyber fraud money under Public Utility Services in Permanent Lok Adalats.
The Department of Administration of Justice accepted this request and issued an official notification. With this, such cyber applications, where no FIR has been filed, now fall under the jurisdiction of Permanent Lok Adalats. These cases will now be treated as Pre-Litigation Cases (PLCs), which will speed up the justice process.
Haryana Police, along with the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), has also created a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to make sure victims get their refund smoothly.
The refund process will now happen in four simple steps. First, the victim must file a complaint, by calling 1930 or submitting it on cybercrime.gov.in. The police will then act quickly and get the fraudster’s account blocked. After that, the victim must apply to the DLSA by filling a simple form requesting a refund.
During this step, the Investigating Officer (IO) will help the victim prepare the required documents and bank report. Once the DLSA checks the application, it will be sent to the Lok Adalat or Permanent Lok Adalat. The Lok Adalat will complete the conciliation process and issue the refund order within a week. After receiving the order, the bank will release the blocked amount directly into the victim’s account.
The police and DLSA will ensure that the order reaches both the bank and the victim electronically without any delay. Importantly, the entire process does not require the victim to hire a lawyer; they can apply on their own with the help of DLSA.
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