New Delhi | Guwahati has emerged as a key cybercrime coordination hub in the Northeast, helping Assam Police track and investigate criminal networks operating across state and Union Territory boundaries, a government official said.

The Joint Cyber Crime Coordination Team (JCCT) in Guwahati, constituted by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is among seven such hubs set up across the country to tackle cybercrime hotspots and cases involving multiple jurisdictions.

The other hubs are located in Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Visakhapatnam. “Guwahati has emerged as one of seven JCCT hubs under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, giving Assam and the Northeast a dedicated mechanism to pursue cybercrime networks that extend beyond state boundaries,” the official told The Assam Tribune.

The importance of the Guwahati hub has become more evident in investigations where Assam Police has used national cyber intelligence, digital forensics and inter-state data to identify suspects and trace criminal networks.

One recent example was an Assam CID operation in January against the creation and circulation of child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM). Acting on inputs received through the Cyber Tipline, the CID conducted operations across six districts and arrested seven accused.

The accused were apprehended within 24 hours, with investigators receiving live forensic assistance from I4C and technical support from the Assam CID, according to the official. The official said the case demonstrated how I4C’s forensic capabilities could be integrated into an ongoing state investigation, allowing investigators to analyse digital evidence while an operation was in progress.

Dhubri accounts under scanner

The cybercrime network has also highlighted the use of Assam-based bank accounts to move suspected fraud proceeds.

Last month, Dhubri Police arrested four people suspected of operating mule bank accounts used to receive and transfer proceeds of cyber fraud from different parts of the country. The investigation was initiated following intelligence shared by the Crime Branch through the I4C’s Samanvaya Portal.

Investigators found that accounts in Dhubri had repeatedly received suspected cyber fraud proceeds originating from different states and Union Territories.

The official said the case pointed to the possible use of Assam as a financial transit point within a wider cybercrime network. Such intelligence can help investigators connect complaints registered in different states and identify common financial channels used by criminal networks.

The JCCT mechanism is supported by Samanvaya, I4C’s data repository and coordination platform, which uses cybercrime data analytics to identify links between crimes and suspected criminals.

Its Pratibimb module maps suspected criminals and cybercrime infrastructure, allowing investigators to visualise networks extending beyond their jurisdictions. As of June 30, 2026, Samanvaya-Pratibimb had contributed to the arrest of more than 29,837 accused and facilitated over 2.33 lakh cyber investigation assistance requests.

Cyber-forensics support

Guwahati’s role has also been strengthened by the National-Digital Investigation Support Centre established in Assam in August 2025. The I4C facility provides early-stage cyber-forensic assistance to investigating officers.

At the national level, the I4C’s Suspect Registry has received more than 30.48 lakh suspect identifiers, while participating financial institutions have declined transactions worth Rs 25,698 crore. The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, linked to the 1930 helpline, has helped prevent losses of more than Rs 11,158 crore across 32.80 lakh complaints as of June 30, 2026.