Gandhinagar, July 29 (IANS) Gujarat Police has intensified its efforts to protect women and children from online threats through its month-long ‘Operation Safe Cyber Space’ campaign, with more than 5,000 awareness programs organised across the state during the first two weeks alone.
The campaign, running from July 1 to July 28, is being carried out by Gujarat Police’s She-Teams and Cyber Cell personnel to educate women, children, parents, teachers and young people about a range of cyber threats, including sextortion, financial fraud, deepfakes and cyberstalking.
The initiative also focuses on promoting safe internet practices and encouraging victims to report cybercrime promptly.
Women Cell & CID Crime ADGP Ajay Kumar Chaudhary said: “The campaign aims to prevent cybercrime through community participation, technology-based monitoring, outreach to victims, cyber awareness and swift legal action.”
During awareness sessions, children are also being informed about how to seek police assistance if they encounter online abuse or other safety concerns and how to lodge complaints through the national cybercrime helpline number 1930.
According to Gujarat Police, more than 5,000 awareness programmes were conducted across the state during the campaign’s first two weeks. In the first week alone, 1,874 cyber literacy and awareness programmes were organised.
During the second week, another 3,415 special sessions focused specifically on serious online threats such as sextortion, deepfakes and cyberstalking.
The awareness drive has included visits to schools, where police personnel have conducted seminars on cyber safety and child protection.
Binal Jagdishchandra, a constable with the Gujarat Police She-Team, said the sessions also seek to build trust between children and law enforcement.
“We visit schools and conduct seminars where we educate children about good touch and bad touch. We also try to remove the fear of the police from children’s minds and make them understand that the police are their friends. If they face any kind of problem, they can approach the police,” she said.
Students attending the programmes said the sessions provided practical guidance on recognising and reporting cybercrime.
Hina Makwana, a student from Gandhinagar, said: “There was a programme on cybercrime in which Saurabh Sir and another Madam came and gave us very good information about cyber security, Abhayam and the women’s helpline, which can be useful for us in the future.”
Another student, Kinjal Parmar, said the programme explained different forms of cybercrime and ways to avoid becoming a victim.
“There are two types of cybercrime. One is financial cybercrime, and the other is cybercrime committed through social media. Financial cybercrime is carried out by sending OTPs and web links. We were told not to click on such web links, not to share OTPs with anyone, and to report such incidents to the police on helpline number 1930,” she said.
The campaign has also included cyber awareness rallies and public meetings in districts across Gujarat to increase public participation and spread awareness about digital safety.
Police said the initiative has helped them to directly engage with large numbers of citizens while informing families, educators and young people about the risks of online fraud and the mechanisms available for seeking assistance.
–IANS
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