Criminal activities today are no longer limited to the use of weapons and physical means. Mobile phones, social media, digital payment systems and information technology have also increasingly become tools for committing crimes. As the nature, methods and reach of crime continue to change, controlling and investigating such activities has become increasingly challenging for the police.
Financial and cybercrime, activities that disrupt social and religious harmony, illegal activities along border areas, and the misuse of information technology have emerged as major security challenges in recent times.
Central Police Spokesperson of Nepal Police, Avinarayan Kafle, said that as the nature and means of crime are changing, police investigation methods are also being modified accordingly. “Cases of cybercrime, banking offences, misinformation/disinformation and deepfakes have increased recently. We need to respond even more strongly to control them,” he said.
According to Nepal Police statistics, a total of 61,016 cases were registered across the country during the last fiscal year. This means an average of around 167 cases were registered every day. Of the registered cases, 12,950 were related to banking offences; 8,707 to offences against public interest, health, safety, facilities and morality; 6,197 to suicide; 5,791 to drug-related offences; 3,524 to theft; 2,380 to rape; and 2,375 to fraud, criminal breach of trust and criminal profiteering.
In terms of digital crimes, police registered 7,410 cases of financial scams, 4,787 cases involving fake or impersonation accounts, 4,362 cases of bullying and harassment, and 2,174 cases involving hacked accounts. Police have also reported an increase in incidents involving hate speech, threats of violence and sextortion.
According to data on cases registered with the Cyber Bureau, people aged 19 to 25 constitute the largest group of perpetrators of cybercrime, while those aged 26 to 35 constitute the largest group of victims. Financial crime investigations have also become increasingly complex. In cases involving banking offences, fraud, criminal profiteering and money laundering, investigators must trace funds from their source to their final destination, making the scope of investigations much broader.
During the last fiscal year, 25 money-laundering cases were filed in court against 64 defendants, with claims for a total amount of more than Rs. 27.5 billion in damages.
Police have also stepped up surveillance of activities involving the misuse of technology to spread false and misleading information and disrupt social and religious harmony. To control such incidents, police have said they are prioritizing digital forensics, information analysis, technology-based investigations and citizen-friendly policing.
