Chandigarh, Nov 15 (IANS) Haryana Police, in collaboration with the Legal Services Authorities, have implemented a new mechanism under which the defrauded amount, once “blocked” in the bank account, will now be returned to the victim directly through Lok Adalat without the need for a lengthy legal process or a lawyer.

This arrangement has been made especially for cases where the money was blocked immediately after the complaint was filed, but no first information report (FIR) has been registered yet.

Director General of Police O. P. Singh on Saturday said, “The biggest problem in cybercrime was that despite the victim’s money being blocked, they had to run around courts to get it back. Understanding this human challenge, Haryana Police presented this simple and effective model before the government and judiciary.

“Now, no cyber fraud victim in Haryana will have to leave their rightful money to fate. Together, we have ensured that victims get quick relief and justice.”

The DGP appealed to residents to immediately report fraud during the ‘Golden Hour’ by calling 1930, so that police can save their hard-earned money.

The police played a major role in getting this system implemented. The police had requested the government and the Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HALSA) to include applications related to the release or de-freezing of blocked cyber fraud money under the category of Public Utility Services in Permanent Lok Adalats.

Accepting this request, the Department of Administration of Justice has issued an official notification formally bringing such cyber applications, where no FIR has been registered, under the jurisdiction of Permanent Lok Adalats. This means such applications will now be treated as pre-litigation cases (PLCs), significantly increasing the speed of the justice process.

The police, in collaboration with the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), have also prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure that victims receive their refund without any difficulty. The refund process will be completed in four simple steps.

First, the complaint must be filed; victims should immediately call helpline 1930 or file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in.

The police will take prompt action and get the fraudster’s account blocked.

After that, the victim must apply to the DLSA by filling out a simple form requesting a refund.

During this stage, the investigating officer (IO) will assist the victim in preparing the necessary documents and bank report.

After verifying the application, the DLSA will forward it to the Lok Adalat or Permanent Lok Adalat, which will complete the conciliation proceedings and issue the refund order within a week.

Finally, once the court order is received, the bank will immediately release the blocked amount to the victim’s account.

The police and the DLSA will ensure that the order reaches both the bank and the victim electronically without delay.

Notably, the entire process does not require the victim to hire a lawyer; they can apply independently with DLSA’s support.

–IANS

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