UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — What does it take to obtain justice for cybercrime?

Q1. With reference to the role of the Union Government in tackling cybercrime in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Union can strengthen State police capacity against cybercrime through financial assistance and online training of police and judicial officers.
  2. Forensic facilities set up under the Union's cybercrime coordination centre provide early-stage forensic assistance to investigating officers of State/UT police.
  3. A State police case in which central forensic assistance has been taken is thereby converted into a case investigated by the Union's coordination centre.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Union Government's cybercrime set-up is designed to coordinate and support State and UT police forces rather than to replace them as the primary agencies for investigating and prosecuting cybercrime.
  2. 'Police' and 'Public Order' are subjects in the State List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to the division of roles in India's response to cyber threats, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Putting a hold on money that a citizen has lost in a UPI fraud is carried out through the incident-response mechanism of CERT-In.
  2. CERT-In's mandate centres on responding to cyber security incidents, including issuing alerts and taking emergency response measures.
  3. CERT-In's role as the national agency for incident response rests on a provision of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to the registration of information about a cognizable offence under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The information may be given to the officer in charge of a police station by electronic communication, and not only orally or in writing in person.
  2. The informant is entitled to receive a copy of the recorded information free of cost.
  3. Information given by electronic communication can be treated as a first information report only after a Magistrate orders its registration.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 only

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A police station in one State can register information about a cyber fraud against a local resident even if the fraudster operated from another State.
  2. Cybercrime has been placed in the Union List because such offences frequently cross State boundaries.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q6. A survey-based study of policing in 2026 found that victims of cybercrime used two informal routes to get their complaints acted upon: paying bribes and using personal networks. Victims from marginalised groups used both routes more often, and both appeared to work more for them. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. For many of these victims, filing a complaint through formal channels was not enough by itself to get the police to act.
  2. Bribery of police officials is a major cause of the rise in cyber fraud.
  3. Taken as a whole, marginalised victims recover their lost money more often than other victims.
  4. Whether a victim gets police action appears to depend partly on the victim's ability to pay or on whom the victim knows.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q7. Consider the following assertion: Reliance on bribery and personal influence to get cybercrime complaints acted upon produces unequal access to justice. Which of the following statements support the above assertion?

  1. Financial cyber frauds frequently involve fraudsters and accounts located in States other than the victim's.
  2. Victims from marginalised groups turned to bribes and personal networks more often, and these routes appeared to work more for them.
  3. More than ₹8,000 crore of defrauded money had been saved through the national fraud-reporting system by the end of 2025.
  4. Some victims are able to push their cases through personal networks while others have no such networks to use.
  • A. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q8. Suppose cyber-fraud complaints filed on a national online platform were registered as FIRs automatically through a system-driven process, instead of depending on the discretion of the officer at the local police station. Consider the following possible consequences: Which of the statements given above is/are likely to be correct?

  1. Opportunities to demand a bribe merely for registering the complaint would shrink.
  2. State police would no longer need to investigate the complaint or trace the fraudster.
  3. Victims without influential contacts would be less disadvantaged at the registration stage.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only