Deputy Chief Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi Chairs High-Level Meeting; Discussions Held on Result-Oriented Measures
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, July 22, 2026: The Gujarat Government has taken a major step to strengthen action against cyber criminals and protect citizens from digital fraud. In this regard, a high-level meeting was held at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, with the heads of leading banks and senior Police Department officials. The meeting focused on strengthening coordination between the police and banks and speeding up action to prevent financial losses to citizens.
During the meeting, DyCM Harsh Sanghavi felicitated police personnel and bank representatives who had played a significant role in helping save citizens’ money in cyber fraud cases.
The main objective of the meeting was to protect the hard-earned money of citizens who fall victim to cyber fraud and to strengthen coordination between the police and the banking system. DyCM directed officials to analyse all cyber fraud cases reported so far and use the findings to develop proactive strategies against emerging methods adopted by cyber criminals.
Discussions also focused on establishing a real-time mechanism to immediately freeze the victim’s funds in the concerned bank accounts soon after a fraud is reported, enabling faster recovery. With this result-oriented initiative, Gujarat has become the first state in the country to adopt such a mechanism.
DyCM stated that a detailed analysis of cyber fraud cases reported so far and the available data should be carried out to identify fraud patterns and implement proactive measures to protect citizens from future cyber fraud.
DyCM said that even a delay of just two minutes by the police or banks in freezing a fraudulent transaction could result in a family losing its lifetime savings and cause severe financial and social hardship. He emphasized that this is not merely a routine government protocol or standard operating procedure (SOP), but a sensitive initiative aimed at protecting citizens’ hard-earned money and maintaining their trust in digital banking.
He further stated that senior citizens are among the most common victims of digital arrest scams and other cyber frauds. He urged bank staff to remain vigilant when senior citizens seek to prematurely withdraw or break large fixed deposits and to politely ask a few questions to verify the purpose of the transaction. Citing an incident from a bank in Ahmedabad, he lauded the staff's alertness, which helped save lakhs of rupees belonging to a citizen.
He also stressed that while pursuing targets such as opening new accounts, banks should never compromise on quality or statutory verification procedures.
The Home Department and senior police officers analyse data on cyber fraud calls, suspicious transactions, and frozen amounts daily. He added that if banks also share real-time intelligence inputs with the police, it would further strengthen coordinated efforts to prevent cyber fraud and protect citizens from financial losses.
The meeting also emphasised the need for the banking sector and the Police Department to actively exchange suggestions, share experiences, and work in close coordination to implement effective and result-oriented measures against cyber fraud.
During the meeting, DyCM felicitated police personnel and bank representatives who had played a significant role in helping save citizens’ money in cyber fraud cases.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary of the Home Department Shri Sanjeev Gupta, Director General of Police Shri Gyanendra Singh Malik, senior officials of the Gujarat Police, representatives of the Reserve Bank of India, and senior officials from banks across the state. They shared valuable suggestions to strengthen measures for protecting citizens from digital fraud. Officials and employees from more than 5,300 bank branches across Gujarat also joined the meeting through video conferencing.
