Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D) of Karnataka and Data Security Council of India (DSCI), to renew the collaboration for the Centre for Cyber Crime Investigation Training & Research (CCITR) at C.I.D Headquarters, Bengaluru.
Infosys Foundation has committed a grant of over INR 33 crore to strengthen the cybercrime investigation capabilities of the Karnataka police, by extending its association with CCITR for four more years. Building on the collaboration established in 2018, the new MoU will bolster the state police force’s cybercrime prosecution capabilities through training and research in digital forensics and cybercrime investigation.
In addition, the joint initiative will bring together innovators, large enterprises, user enterprises, academia, and the government to fulfil the following objectives:
Capacity building of the police, prosecution, and judiciary in handling investigations, and development of SOPs in cybercrime investigations.
Performing research in digital forensics and cybercrime investigation that would improve the prosecution of cybercrime cases investigated by Karnataka Police.
Fostering entrepreneurship for development of indigenous cyber forensics products and solutions.
Training and certification for police staff in their core areas like cybercrimes and digital forensics.
Collaboration with national and international organizations working in digital forensics domains.
Dr. M A Saleem IPS, Director General of Police, CID, Economic Offences & Special Units, Karnataka, said, “The strategic initiatives for capacity enhancement undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Department of Karnataka have been substantially bolstered by the collaborative efforts with the Infosys Foundation and the Data Security Council of India. In addition to training police officers, CCITR has also extended its activities to other stakeholders in the criminal justice delivery system, viz., the prosecution and judiciary. With the renewal of the collaboration, we expect more thought leadership in digital forensics that would improve the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime cases. At this juncture, I take this opportunity to thank the Infosys Foundation and Data Security Council of India for partnering with us in our efforts to combat the growing menace of cybercrimes.”
Mr. Vinayak Godse, Chief Executive Officer, Data Security Council of India, said, “On this special occasion of renewing our commitment, I would like to acknowledge and express our profound gratitude towards the Infosys Foundation and the Criminal Investigation Department of Karnataka for their pivotal partnership through CCITR. This collaboration has set an excellent example of how public-private partnerships can effectively contribute to handling cybercrime threats. Looking ahead, this renewed collaboration will enable us to develop even more advanced training programs, workshops, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.”
Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar, Trustee, Infosys Foundation, said, “We are very happy with the work DSCI and CCITR have collaboratively achieved. With the digital landscape evolving every day, this renewed engagement will bring in newer dimensions to Karnataka Police’s cybercrime handling capabilities through innovative solutions. This initiative signals a pivotal step towards safeguarding our digital future.”