Govt trains 2,941 police officials in blockchain forensics, industry experts react

Curbing blockchain crimes: The government is intensifying efforts to empower law enforcement with advanced skills to monitor the blockchain industry. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in its annual report, revealed that over 3,000 police officers have undergone training on digital currency investigation techniques aligned with global standards. Leading this initiative are the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the Narcotic Control Bureau. 

“I4C has trained more than 2800 cyber police officials across the country on new and emerging technologies like cryptocurrency forensics & investigation, Deep fake, Dark web, Anonymisation Networks, Investigating Banking Hacks and Misuse of Mobile Applications in cyberspace.” 

During the 2022-2023 financial year, 2,941 police officials participated in 18 technical training programs. The MHA highlighted that attendees have been equipped with expertise in digital currency forensics, on-chain investigations, and asset recovery.

Ashish Chandra, General Counsel, CoinSwitch believes that government agencies must be equipped to deal with the changing nature of crimes. Chandra, while exclusively talking to Republic said, “It becomes imperative for law enforcement agencies to equip themselves with the right knowledge and skills to counter the also-evolving bad actors in the space. It is reassuring to see the government’s decision to impart training to the police force in blockchain forensics, align with CoinSwitch’s efforts.” 

Chandra also underlined CoinSwitch’s efforts to train law enforcement personnel in their safe crypto initiative. Chandra said, “This past year, we have been able to conduct multi-city awareness and knowledge-sharing sessions on blockchain technology and VDAs for law enforcement officials (LEAs) as it doubles down on the “safe crypto initiative”. To date, we have conducted 12 sessions, training more than 800 officials from various law enforcement and tax officials across 8 states.” 

Poorvi Sachar, Head of Operations at Tezos India, shared her insights on the impact this step from the government can have on the blockchain industry. Sachar said, “Government-led blockchain forensics enables authorities to trace and investigate transactions on the blockchain, enhancing their capacity to combat fraud, money laundering, and other unlawful activities. This proactive approach not only strengthens law enforcement capabilities but also instils confidence in the legitimacy of blockchain technologies.”

Rajagopal Menon, VP, WazirX, also told Republic about WazirX’s collaboration with police departments to train them for blockchain-related frauds and build an understanding of the emerging technology. Menon said, 

“Police officials are very keen to understand crypto and blockchain technologies given the growing popularity among Indian citizens and the rapid pace of adoption. This is crucial since it will go a long way in improving investor confidence, especially for new users who might fear falling victim to scams involving crypto.” 

The training curriculum also covered other emerging technologies, including anonymisation networks. Officers attended courses focusing on investigating the misuse of mobile applications, with a specific emphasis on evidence collection from social media sources and other digital footprints. In-depth training on navigating the dark web was also provided.

Vikram Subburaj, CEO, Giottus, underlined the importance of educating the masses about the pros and cons of blockchain technology while also enabling enforcement agencies with the right training and tools. Subburaj said, “To address crypto-related crimes, government agencies must adopt a two-pronged approach — empowering officers with investigative expertise and educating the public about the benefits and risks of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. It is also essential that officers have access to cutting-edge transaction tracking and tracing tools.” 

This specialised training is open to law enforcement officers and select civil service officials. The MHA plans to conduct this training annually, with expectations of similar metrics being reported in 2022.