KARACHI: The Sindh government has planned to establish a cybercrime unit to combat online crimes to strengthen the province`s cybersecurity situation and provide a safer online environment to internet users.

Well-placed sources told Dawn on Saturday that the proposed cybercrime unit would focus on investigating and preventing cybercrimes, enhancing province`s cybersecurity capabilities.

They said that provincial cybercrime unit would work closely with law enforcement agencies and international partners to track down wrongdoers and bring them to justice.

At present, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), a federalentity, is responsible for investigating cybercrimes, including harassment, banking frauds, threats, blackmailing or cheating with the help of electronic devices, and contact the managements of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Hotmail or YouTube, etc, for evidence.

It replaced the previous Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency to become an independent agency.

Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar told Dawn that the provincial government would soon approach the federal government to seek powers to establish a provincial cybercrime unit and make laws to support it.

He said that the federal government would be requested to notify the Sindh police as an authorised agency to take cognizance of offences under Section 3 to 23 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.

The home minister, who also holds the law and parliamentary affairs portfolio, stated that the provincial assembly would legislate to establish a provincial cybercrime unit similar to NCCIA, pending federal government approval for the province to tackle cybercrimes.

He said that the proposed provincialcybercrime unit would be a vital component in the fight against cybercrime as the FIA`s cybercrime wing in Sindh was facing significant challenges, including a shortage of investigating officers and a massive backlog of pending complaints.

The sources said that the proposed cybercrime unit would focus on investigating and preventing cybercrimes in the province, such as online harassment, financial fraud, and identity theft.

Talking to Dawn, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon said that the provincial police had written to the home department to request the federal government to notify Sindh police an agency authorised to take cognizance of cybercrimes.

He said that cybercrimes were rising alarmingly in the society, with criminals using cyberspace for various offences, including terror financing, money laundering, extortion, hacking, and theft of software/data, as well as petty crimes like fraud, defamation, and harassment.

He said that the anonymity provided by cyberspace and the police`s inability to detect or trace criminals hiding behind the internet had weakened the deterrent effect of the law, making it challenging to prevent and investigate cybercrimes.

The IGP said that the NCCIA was currently the only agency authorised to investigate cybercrimes in the country, but it was facing significant challengesdue toashortage of investigating officers and a massive backlog of pending complaints.

`This is hindering their ability to effectively investigate crimes and achieve concrete results,` he added.