The Indian government has blocked 3,718 mobile applications and disabled millions of SIM cards as part of an aggressive effort to combat cyber crime, protecting over Rs 11,000 crore in the process.
The Centre has blocked 3,718 mobile applications, including fraudulent loan apps, as part of a wider effort to curb cyber fraud, the Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament. The disclosure shows how quickly the authorities are expanding their response to scams that use mobile software, messaging platforms and compromised accounts to target victims across India.
According to the ministry’s reply in the Lok Sabha, more than Rs 11,158 crore had been protected through the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System by June 30, 2026, on the basis of more than 32.80 lakh complaints. The same response said Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre officials had also blocked more than 15.75 lakh SIM cards and 5.77 lakh IMEIs, reflecting a strategy that targets not only apps but also the devices and phone numbers fraudsters use to operate.
The crackdown fits a broader pattern that has emerged over the past year. In March 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ cyber wing said it had blocked 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,867 WhatsApp accounts linked to scams, alongside 8.45 lakh SIM cards, 2.39 lakh mobile IMEI numbers and 827 malicious apps. The same operation also removed or blocked more than 1.11 lakh pieces of suspicious online content through the Sahyog portal, underscoring how cybercriminals increasingly rely on layered digital infrastructure rather than a single platform.
The latest figures also highlight the role of the suspect registry, which the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre launched in September 2024 with banks and financial institutions. The ministry said more than 30.48 lakh suspect identifier records and 32.08 lakh Layer 1 mule accounts have been shared with participating entities, helping to decline transactions worth Rs 25,698 crore by June 30, 2026. The government has also rolled out a standard operating procedure for complaint handling, fund restoration and account-lien grievances, while expanding public awareness campaigns through SMS, caller tunes, schools, cinema, radio and social media.
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