Cybercrimes probe backlog dwarfs FIA’s achievements

Cases at National Response Centre for Cyber Crime continue to multiply


Qadeer Tanoli March 24, 2016
PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency is struggling in all its assigned tasks as the number of pending cases in its National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes (NR3C) is much higher than its overall achievements.

Its performance and achievement chart from January 1 to December 31, 2015 reflects huge backlogs and several pending cases which continue to pile up, putting a question mark on the agency’s performance.

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According to a few official documents pertaining to the performance of NR3C, last year it had a total of 7,112 verification cases; of which 952 were turned into enquiries while only 2,192 were disposed of, closed or transferred. The number of pending cases, according to the performance chart, is around 56% of the total cases.

Similarly, NR3C had a total of 1,380 ‘enquiries’ up to December 2015; of which only 77 were turned into cases while 658 were disposed of, closed or transferred and  645 remained pending, which are around 47% of the total number of cases.

According to the performance chart, 719 enquiries were put forward, which were the backlog of 2014 while 661 new enquiries were registered in 2015.

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The performance chart presents a dismal picture when it comes to court work comparison as 289 cases were pending, which accounts for 78 per cent of a total of 368 cases.

The pending cases regarding proclaimed offenders are also disappointingly huge: out of the total 89 POs only five were arrested while the status of 84 POs was still pending. NR3C-FIA is dedicated to fighting cybercrime, which was launched in 2007 to identify and curb crimes committed using IT.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2016.

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