Ten days after Union home minister Amit Shah announced the launch of an e-Zero FIR initiative to expedite action against cybercrime, Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora issued a formal order detailing the protocol to be followed by field officers.
The initiative, launched as a pilot in Delhi on May 17, aims to fast-track investigations, improve fund recovery, and crack down on cyber fraud. Shah had said in a May 19 post on X that financial cyber complaints lodged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) or via helpline 1930 would automatically be converted into FIRs — initially for frauds above ₹10 lakh. The system will later be expanded nationwide.
In an order dated May 29, Arora instructed that investigations must begin without waiting for the complainant’s signature. Officers are required to issue notices asking the complainant to sign the FIR at the local cyber police station within 72 hours.
The initiative integrates the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre’s (I4C) NCRP system, Delhi Police’s e-FIR platform, and the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), the order said.
Once an e-Zero FIR is registered at the cyber crime branch police station, it will be transferred to the concerned territorial cyber police station. Investigative steps — such as freezing bank accounts, obtaining call detail records, and collecting CCTV footage — must begin immediately.
“Ensure the complainant is contacted without delay and requested to sign the printed copy of the FIR within 72 hours,” Arora’s directive stated.
If the complainant fails to appear, a formal notice must be issued stating that the case will proceed in accordance with Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which lays out the procedure for recording cognisable offences. An official aware of the process added that if the FIR remains unsigned after 30 days, it is liable to be withdrawn.
The order also clarified the delegation of cases based on the value of fraud: complaints involving over ₹50 lakh will be handled by the DCP (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations); those between ₹25 lakh and ₹50 lakh will be transferred to the DCP (Crime); and cases between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 lakh will be dealt with by the SHO of the cyber police station concerned.
The commissioner emphasised that cyber police stations in each district must be made fully functional, with clearly defined responsibilities.