Gujarat Police have conducted more than 5,000 cyber safety awareness programmes across the state during the first two weeks of a month-long campaign aimed at protecting women and children from online threats such as sextortion, deepfakes, cyberstalking and online grooming.
The 28-day campaign, titled ‘Operation Surakshit Cyberspace’, has been launched under the state government’s cyber safety initiative to promote safer use of digital platforms through awareness, prevention, enforcement and victim support.
According to Gujarat Police, the She-Team and Cyber Cell organised 5,289 awareness programmes during the first fortnight of the campaign.
The initiative is being implemented under the supervision of Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Malik and combines community outreach, technology-based surveillance, victim assistance, cyber awareness and prompt legal action to combat cybercrime.
CID Crime (Women Cell) Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Ajay Chaudhary said ensuring the online safety of women and children had become a key priority in the digital era.
“Ensuring the online safety of women and children is a top priority in the digital era. Through ‘Operation Surakshit Cyberspace’, Gujarat Police is creating a safer digital environment by raising awareness about cyber threats such as deepfakes and sextortion. Gujarat Police remains fully committed to the safety and security of every citizen,” Chaudhary said.
According to the police, the campaign has reached lakhs of people across Gujarat through awareness drives, educational programmes and public outreach initiatives.
During the first week, Gujarat Police organised 1,874 awareness and outreach programmes, including 185 statewide launch events on digital and physical safety, 438 Cyber Safety Day programmes in schools, and 336 Kishori Diwas awareness sessions for adolescent girls.
The police also conducted 318 awareness programmes for parents and 281 training sessions for teachers to help them identify and respond to cyber risks faced by children. In addition, 207 awareness programmes were held in colleges, while 109 cyber rallies were organised across districts to promote digital safety.
In the second week, the campaign focused on specific forms of cybercrime and online safety, with 4,172 thematic programmes and public awareness camps conducted across the state.
Of these, 743 programmes focused on social media safety and responsible online behaviour, 578 addressed deepfake-related crimes, 514 covered cyberstalking prevention, and 520 were organised under the ‘Anti-Sextortion Day’ initiative. The campaign also included 512 gaming safety programmes, 466 online grooming prevention sessions and 461 public awareness camps in remote areas.
As part of the initiative, Gujarat Police have assigned specific responsibilities to personnel at every operational level, from constables to police inspectors. Officers are being evaluated on five parameters: awareness generation, prevention, enforcement, quality of investigation and public trust.
The police have urged victims of cybercrime or online harassment to report incidents promptly through the National Cyber Helpline and register complaints to facilitate timely action.
(With IANS inputs)
