CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has designated its existing Cyber Crime Wing headquarters in Chennai as the Tamil Nadu State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (TN-S4C), creating a state-level command and coordination mechanism to tackle increasingly sophisticated cyber offences.
The Home Department issued the notification through a government order dated July 28, published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on August 12. The move follows the Centre's framework for State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres and the Supreme Court's directions on coordinating action against offences such as "digital arrest".
The TN-S4C, located at the Cyber Crime Wing administrative building at the Police Training College complex in Ashok Nagar, will function as Tamil Nadu's nodal agency for the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). It will operate under the overall supervision of the DGP and the immediate administrative control of the DGP/ADGP, Cyber Crime Wing.
The centre will serve as a 24x7 operational hub for cyber incidents, with responsibilities ranging from near real-time intervention in financial frauds and cyber threat monitoring to cyber patrolling and coordination with banks, telecom companies, internet service providers, CERT-In, I4C and other agencies.
It will also take up cases requiring inter-state or international coordination, including organised cybercrime, ransomware, cryptocurrency-related offences, large-scale financial frauds and technologically sophisticated crimes.
The new structure will have six key verticals: State Cyber Command Centre (SCCC), State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre (SCCIC), Cyber Arangam, Advanced Cyber Forensic Unit, Admin Division and Cyber Security Division.
The SCCC will run the 1930 cyber crime helpline control room, oversee e-Zero FIRs, facilitate SIM and IMEI blocking, coordinate content blocking and undertake cyber intelligence, social media intelligence and dark web surveillance. It will also act as the state nodal agency for the CEIR portal and monitor inter-state arrests through the Samanvay portal.
The SCCIC will handle complex cases involving multiple jurisdictions, organised cybercrime, ransomware and cryptocurrency-enabled offences. It will also function as an e-police station for e-Zero FIRs where the financial loss exceeds Rs 1 lakh.
The government has sanctioned 172 police posts for the core command and investigation structure, comprising five senior officers, 76 posts in the SCCC and 91 in the SCCIC. The staffing plan also includes 28 personnel on deputation for Cyber Arangam and 25 ministerial staff.
The Cyber Arangam will focus on public awareness, police training, student internships, hackathons and digital literacy. The Advanced Cyber Forensic Unit will manage the state's cyber forensic laboratory and facilitate the adoption of advanced forensic tools and technologies.
The government has also adopted a hybrid model involving institutional experts. Six experts have been empanelled in areas including log analysis, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, dark web investigation, threat intelligence, security breach investigation, digital and mobile forensics, malware analysis and management.
The state has sanctioned Rs 8.88 crore for expanding the 1930 helpline call centre with 15 outsourced seats for three years. A legal adviser will also be engaged on contract at Rs 50,000 a month.
The government order provides for a state-level cyber crime dashboard to track complaints, financial fraud response, investigations, arrests, recoveries, seizures and convictions. The centre will also maintain cyber threat intelligence repositories and analyse emerging trends to recommend policy and technology upgrades.
The order also provides for a State Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre as a multi-stakeholder mechanism for proactive prevention, detection and mitigation of cyber fraud. The organisational chart says the centre is yet to be made functional.
The TN-S4C's performance will be reviewed monthly, with quarterly reviews by the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary of the Home, Prohibition and Excise Department.