In a major push to modernise cybercrime response and protect citizens from financial loss, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, alongside local enforcement agencies like the Mumbai Police, has deployed two digital portals — the Grievance Redressal Mechanism, and the Money Restoration Module.
Together, these platforms solve two of the biggest operational bottlenecks in digital fraud enforcement: restoring frozen bank accounts belonging to innocent citizens, and returning intercepted fraud funds directly to victims.
The portals explained
Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM)
When police track illicit money flows across suspect accounts, banks place automated freezes downstream. Unfortunately, legitimate accounts often get caught in the crossfire.
[popcorn number="Rs 3.98 cr" desc="Total amount returned to victims" class="Default"]
The problem: Innocent account holders previously faced weeks of manual paperwork and police station visits to prove they were not part of the fraud ring.
How GRM helps: The portal establishes a direct, digitally tracked link between the account holder, bank officials, and investigating officers.
The process…
>> Affected account holder files an online grievance detailing legitimate transactions
>> Issue undergoes multi-tier digital verification by designated Grievance Redressal Officers at district, state, and Ministry of Home Affairs levels
>> Identity verification can be completed via Video Conferencing (VC), allowing eligible accounts to be unfrozen without physical precinct visits
Money Restoration Module (MRM)
Integrated into the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), MRM digitises the legal and banking pipeline required to return stolen money held in beneficiary accounts.
The problem: Once banks froze stolen funds, retrieving them required cumbersome court proceedings, causing funds to lie dormant for months.
How MRM helps…
Direct request generation: The victim uses their 14-digit National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) acknowledgement ID to lodge a digital refund request
Automated inter-bank routing: The request flows digitally between the victim, investigating officer, target bank, and receiving bank
Legal allocation: Multi-victim cases are processed under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) or settled pro-rata based on verified claim proportions
What to do in fraud cases…
Speaking with mid-day, DCP (Cyber) Bajrang Bansode, said, “To give these portals the speed they need, citizens must act within the ‘Golden Hour’ of a fraud event.”
Call ‘1930’ Immediately: Dial the National Cybercrime Helpline to trigger the immediate freezing of transferred funds across banking networks
Log on to cybercrime.gov.in: File an official complaint to receive your 14-digit NCRP acknowledgement ID
Preserve digital footprints: Save all UPI transaction IDs, bank SMS alerts, chat logs, and caller details
Initiate MRM process: Use your NCRP ID on the MRM portal (mrm-ncrp.mha.gov.in) with your PAN details to begin refund processing
Expert Speak
A cyber officer,
‘Police still depend heavily on banks for the process. Banks should appoint dedicated officers at their branches to handle such cases. At present, it can take 15 to 20 days for victims to receive their money. If the amount is below R50,000, the investigating officer can, after verification, issue an NOC to the bank for direct refund to the victim. For amounts above Rs 50,000, a faster mechanism should be considered so that victims do not have to wait for lengthy court procedures.’
Mumbai Police in action
Mumbai Police personnel across cyber and local stations have undergone specialised training to handle these portals. The operational data highlights the rapid scale of these mechanisms.
GRM grievances raised 2337
GRM Grievances Resolved 2169
Mule/linked bank accounts frozen 29,994
Fraudulent mobile numbers blocked 17,300+
Total MRM cases processed 24,800
Total funds in process of return Rs 18.28 cr
Total amount returned to victims Rs 3.98 cr (across 6096 cases)
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