Information and Technology and e-Governance department has prepared a proposal to set up cyber forensic laboratories at least six of the 24 districts in Jharkhand, including one in Jamtara, a district that has gained infamy over the years for being the hub of cybercrimes committed across the country, officials from the department said on Wednesday.

These laboratories will be used to conduct forensic tests on various electronic gadgets (mobile phones and computers) seized by the police from scene of crime and help the law enforcement agency solve criminal cases, officials said. The laboratories, officials said, “It will also help in tracking down perpetrators of crimes committed against in the cyberspace.”

According to a source in the IT and e-governance department, the labs will be set up at Deoghar, Jamshedpur, Jamtara, Palamu, Giridih and Dhanbad. The department, this source said, will also sign an MoU with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a government-run organisation involved in research and development works in the field of information technology.

“We are working towards setting up cyber forensic labs in the state. The work is in progress at different level for its implementation in different districts,” said secretary department of IT and e-Governance, KN Jha.

Several cybercriminals involved in duping people living in metro cities have been traced down to Jharkhand in the past years, said the police. Besides Jamtara, on which a Netflix series has been made, Dhanbad, Giridih, Deoghar and other districts close to the Santhal Pargana region has become a den for cyber frauds, police say.

According to police, “Cyber frauds often disguise themselves as trustworthy representatives of banks and finance companies over phone calls and ask for personal banking details of their target.”

“Most cyber frauds use phishing to dupe people. The devices they use can lead to other links in their racket and help nab other such criminals,” said a police official from the cyber cell of Jharkhand Police.

“Once the cyber forensic labs are ready, they will be handed over to the Department of Home Affairs,” sources from the IT department said.

Earlier in July this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs had commissioned at least 18 cyber forensic labs across the country for fight cybercrime and crimes against women in the cyberspace.