New Delhi: The Delhi Police has established dedicated units to investigate bomb hoaxes and technology-enabled crimes against women and children under its newly created Delhi Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (D4C), according to a government notification.

The move comes amid a series of bomb threats targeting government offices, schools and courts in the national capital, with investigators often facing difficulties in tracing those behind anonymous threats.

New cell to track bomb hoax threats

The Hoax Bomb E-mail Investigation Cell will investigate offences involving VPNs, anonymisation technologies, spoofed or anonymous emails and hoax bomb threats.

According to the notification, the cell will focus on identifying the technical source of such communications, collecting digital evidence and coordinating with telecom operators, internet intermediaries and email service providers.

The specialised approach is intended to strengthen investigations into threats where perpetrators attempt to conceal their digital identity.

New wing to protect women and children online

The D4C will also have an Online Crimes against Women and Children (OCWC) Wing to prevent, detect and coordinate action against technology-enabled offences targeting women and children.

The wing will monitor complaints and develop actionable intelligence on organised online sexual exploitation networks, repeat offenders and cyber hotspots.

Specialised teams to support investigations

The OCWC Wing will include specialised units dealing with prevention and mitigation, social-media monitoring and open-source intelligence (OSINT), takedown operations and survivor support.

It will coordinate with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), district cyber police stations, social-media intermediaries and internet service providers.

The coordination will focus on content removal, preservation of digital evidence and enforcement action.

The creation of the dedicated cells marks an effort by the Delhi Police to strengthen its response to increasingly technology-driven offences and improve coordination across agencies dealing with cybercrime.