Cyber Crime Complaint Delhi: Cyber Cell and Court Process

By Advocate Panchanand Shaw, Bar Council of West Bengal · Published 4 Nov 2026 · Cyber crime

A cyber crime complaint in Delhi can be filed at the jurisdictional police station, a district cyber cell or the specialised Delhi Police cyber unit, and online through cybercrime.gov.in after calling 1930. It becomes a case when an FIR is registered under section 173 of the BNSS, and it is tried by a Magistrate, with quashing before the Delhi High Court under section 528.

A cyber crime complaint in Delhi is received at the jurisdictional police station, at a district cyber cell, or by a specialised Delhi Police cyber unit, and it can be started online through cybercrime.gov.in or the 1930 helpline. It becomes a case only when an FIR is registered under section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023. The charges are drawn mainly from the Information Technology Act 2000, most often sections 66, 66C, 66D and 67, and from the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, principally cheating under section 318, cheating by personation under section 319, criminal breach of trust under section 316 and defamation under section 356.

Delhi's sheer volume of cyber complaints makes the practical sequence matter as much as the legal one. The 1930 call to freeze the money, the written complaint that discloses a cognizable offence, the escalation route if a station stalls, and the parallel remedy through the bank and the banking ombudsman each have their own timing. This guide explains where to file in Delhi, how a complaint is converted into a registered case, how the money trail is pursued, and how a cyber case is tried in the city's courts.

How a Delhi cyber complaint is received

The first step is to understand that a complaint is not the same as an FIR, and that different Delhi Police units perform different functions. A complaint is your account of what happened; an FIR is the statutory record that opens an investigation.

The jurisdictional police station

The station with jurisdiction over the place where the offence occurred, or where its effect was felt, is the natural place to give written information. Under section 173(1) of the BNSS, information about a cognizable offence must be received irrespective of where the offence was committed, which is the zero-FIR facility. A station cannot turn you away merely because the accused, the server or the bank account is elsewhere; it records the information and transfers the case for investigation.

District cyber cells

Delhi Police operates cyber cells at the district level to handle online fraud, financial cyber crime, identity theft and social-media offences arising within that district. These cells are the practical destination for most financial cyber complaints, and they are equipped to send the record requests that trace an account or a phone number rather than merely recording a statement.

The specialised cyber unit

For serious, organised, multi-victim or cross-jurisdictional offences, Delhi Police runs a specialised cyber prevention and detection unit that works alongside the districts on tracing, analysis and coordination with banks and platforms. Cases that involve a scam network, a series of victims or an interstate operation are best routed to that unit rather than left at a local counter.

Three ways to start a Delhi case

Call 1930 at once if money has moved. The national helpline can flag the transaction for a freeze through the banking system, and the first hours decide whether the funds can be stopped before they are layered away.
File on cybercrime.gov.in, which creates a national reference number and can trigger a bank freeze request where the transaction is recent. Keep the acknowledgement and its reference number safe.
Give a written, dated and signed complaint at the jurisdictional police station or the district cyber cell, describing who did what, the amounts, the accounts and why the conduct is a cognizable offence, and obtain a stamped receipt or the daily-diary entry number.
If the officer declines to register an FIR, send the substance of the information in writing to the Superintendent of Police, the remedy preserved by section 173(4) of the BNSS.
If that brings no action, apply to the jurisdictional Magistrate under section 175(3) of the BNSS, who may order an investigation into the matter.
Collect the free copy of the recorded information and the crime number, and give the crime number to your bank so that its nodal officer can pursue a lien or a chargeback.
Send takedown notices to the platform through its grievance channel, since an intermediary loses the protection of section 79 of the IT Act if it fails the due-diligence obligations under the IT Rules 2021.
Run the money remedy in parallel: after the bank's own timeline under the RBI directions on unauthorised electronic transactions, escalate to the banking ombudsman if the bank does not act.

Type of complaint	Where it is received in Delhi	Typical court
UPI, card or net-banking fraud	District cyber cell or jurisdictional station, plus 1930 and the portal	Magistrate having jurisdiction over the place of occurrence
Organised or multi-victim scam	Specialised Delhi Police cyber unit, with the district	Magistrate, or the Sessions court for graver offences
Hacking, identity theft, cheating by personation	District cyber cell or jurisdictional station	Magistrate, on an FIR under the IT Act and BNS
Harassment, obscene content or defamation online	District cyber cell or jurisdictional station	Magistrate, with the specific IT Act or BNS sections

From complaint to registered case

Whether the complaint becomes an FIR depends on one thing: whether the information discloses a cognizable offence. Stating the facts precisely, and matching them to the sections, is what converts a narrative into a registerable case. Where the offence carries three years or more but less than seven, section 173(3) of the BNSS allows the officer in charge, with the prior permission of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, to conduct a preliminary enquiry limited to fourteen days, or to proceed straight to investigation where a prima facie case is visible. A preliminary enquiry is not a licence to bury a complaint, and where the facts plainly disclose an offence, the case should move to investigation.

Once the FIR exists, the investigation is conducted under the BNSS. Where the police intend to take a person into custody for a cognizable offence carrying up to seven years, section 35 of the BNSS generally requires a notice of appearance rather than an immediate arrest, and a person who complies and attends is protected from arrest unless the officer records reasons. Where searches or seizures take place, section 105 of the BNSS requires them to be recorded through audio-video electronic means.

Evidence and the money trail

A Delhi cyber case is proved from records rather than from memory. Under section 94 of the BNSS, the court or the officer in charge can order a bank, a telecom provider or a platform to produce documents and electronic records, and under section 63 of the BSA 2023 those electronic records are proved and made admissible. On the money side, the fastest remedy for a victim runs alongside the FIR: the RBI directions on unauthorised electronic transactions require a bank to act on a promptly reported fraud and to give a provisional credit within a defined timeline, and they limit the customer's liability where the fraud is reported within the prescribed period. That is pursued with the bank and then the banking ombudsman, and it does not depend on the criminal case being concluded.

How the case is tried in Delhi

Cyber offences under the IT Act and the cheating provisions of the BNS are generally triable by a Magistrate, and Delhi's magisterial work is distributed across the district courts, while graver matters that must be tried by a Sessions court go before the relevant Sessions court. Bail in a bailable offence at the early stage is a matter of right, while in a non-bailable offence the court weighs the gravity of the allegations and the evidence. Where an FIR discloses no offence or is plainly an abuse of process, the accused may seek quashing before the Delhi High Court under section 528 of the BNSS, which preserves the High Court's inherent powers. Where a person is in custody and the investigation is not completed within the statutory sixty or ninety days, section 187 of the BNSS gives a right to default bail.

Why cyber cases stall, and how to keep them moving

Most delay in Delhi cyber cases comes from three sources. The first is routing: a complaint filed at a local counter without the details to act on sits until it is forwarded, whereas a complaint routed to a district cyber cell or the specialised unit reaches the people who can send record requests. The second is the record request itself: tracing an account, a phone number or a platform profile depends on banks, telecom operators and platforms outside the district replying to section 94 requests, and that takes time the complainant can do little to shorten except by supplying exact identifiers.

The third is an incomplete complaint. An investigation cannot progress on a narrative alone, so an indexed complaint that lists each transaction, each beneficiary, each account and each screenshot by number gives the officer a sequence to work through. Complainants who keep a written record of every follow-up, and who use the section 173(4) and section 175(3) route rather than waiting on a single counter, are the ones whose cases move. The parallel bank remedy should not be paused while the police investigation runs, because the two have different clocks.

What decides the outcome

How quickly the fraud was reported, because a freeze is only possible while the funds remain in the layer that received them.
Whether the complaint discloses a cognizable offence and names specific sections, transactions and accounts, rather than describing a general feeling of being cheated.
The quality of the electronic evidence, since a post or a transfer proved under section 63 of the BSA carries far more weight than a description of what someone remembers.
Whether the number, the receiving account and the platform can be linked to an identifiable person through record requests.
Whether the complainant pursues the bank remedy in parallel rather than waiting only on the police, because the two routes move at different speeds.

Common mistakes in Delhi cyber complaints

Delaying the 1930 call, which is often the single reason money cannot be recovered.
Treating the portal acknowledgement as an FIR, when the bank and the court need the crime number.
Filing only against an "unknown" caller and not naming the beneficiary account or the intermediary, leaving the investigation with nothing to act on.
Deleting messages, posts or call logs, which destroys the strongest evidence.
Not giving the crime number to the bank, so no lien or chargeback is ever pursued.
Abandoning the case when a local station hesitates, instead of using the section 173(4) and section 175(3) route.

When to involve a lawyer

A cyber complaint in Delhi is a procedural task as much as a factual one, and whether it is routed to a district cyber cell or the specialised unit affects how quickly it moves. A cyber crime lawyer in Kolkata experienced with the national machinery can help you frame the complaint under the correct sections, prepare the electronic-evidence certificate, and pursue escalation when a station stalls. If you are the person accused, a criminal defence lawyer can examine whether the FIR discloses the offence alleged and prepare for the bail or bail application stage before the first hearing. Getting the forum and the sections right at the start is what keeps the case on track.

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Frequently asked questions

Where do I file a cyber crime complaint in Delhi?

You can give written information at the jurisdictional police station, at a district cyber cell, or through the specialised Delhi Police cyber unit for serious cases. Money fraud should also be reported at once on the 1930 helpline and at cybercrime.gov.in. The police must receive information about a cognizable offence irrespective of where it occurred and register an FIR under section 173 of the BNSS.

What are the three ways to start a cyber case in Delhi?

First, call 1930 the same day if money has moved, so the transaction can be flagged for a freeze. Second, file on cybercrime.gov.in, which creates a national reference number. Third, give a written, signed complaint at the jurisdictional station or district cyber cell and obtain a receipt. A portal acknowledgement is not an FIR; only the FIR carries a crime number a bank and court recognise.

What is the difference between a portal complaint and an FIR in Delhi?

A complaint on cybercrime.gov.in creates a national reference number and can trigger a bank freeze, but it is not by itself a registered FIR. An FIR is the record created under section 173 of the BNSS when a cognizable offence is disclosed, and it carries a crime number that the bank, the investigating officer and the court all use to pursue the case.

What if the Delhi Police refuse to register my FIR?

If the officer declines to register an FIR, send the substance of the information in writing to the Superintendent of Police, which is the remedy preserved by section 173(4) of the BNSS. If that brings no action, apply to the jurisdictional Magistrate under section 175(3) of the BNSS, who may order an investigation. The High Court should not ordinarily be approached before these remedies.

Which court hears a cyber crime case in Delhi?

Cyber offences under the IT Act and the cheating provisions of the BNS are generally triable by a Magistrate, and Delhi's magisterial work is spread across the district courts, while graver matters go before the relevant Sessions court. Where an FIR discloses no offence or is an abuse of process, the accused may seek quashing before the Delhi High Court under section 528 of the BNSS.

How do I recover money lost to cyber fraud in Delhi?

Report immediately on 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in so the transaction can be flagged and a freeze request routed through the bank's nodal officer. Give the FIR crime number to your bank, which must act within the timelines set by the RBI directions on unauthorised electronic transactions. If the bank does not resolve it, escalate to the banking ombudsman while the police investigation continues.

What evidence should I preserve for a Delhi cyber complaint?

Save full-page screenshots showing the URL, the account handle and the visible date, download the media, and keep the complete message or call record rather than a crop. Bank statements showing the transaction reference and beneficiary, device and OTP details, and the bank's acknowledgement all help. Electronic records are proved under section 63 of the BSA 2023, so do not delete or edit anything.

Can a person be arrested in a Delhi cyber crime case?

For a cognizable offence carrying up to seven years, section 35 of the BNSS generally requires the police to serve a notice of appearance rather than arrest, and a person who complies and attends is protected from arrest unless the officer records reasons. For graver offences, arrest is possible, and the accused can seek bail or, where the FIR discloses no offence, quashing before the Delhi High Court.

Information for general guidance only and not legal advice. Provisions cited follow the Information Technology Act 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.

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