Gurgaon: Deepfake misuse, sextortion and circulation of morphed or objectionable photos and videos on social media platforms — women facing any of these cyber crimes have a friend in need: Digital Saheli. They can seek help “without fear or hesitation” now, said police, who launched, on Friday, the “special anti-deepfake and sextortion rapid response cell”, along with a dedicated helpline — 9999981002 — where they can report cyber crimes from the safety of their homes. Digital Saheli will operate round the clock with a team of eight women police personnel, “with an aim to strengthen women’s safety”. The cell, which was inaugurated by commissioner of police Vikas Kumar Arora at Women police station in Sector 51, has been set up in collaboration with a private foundation, Reet. Officials added that other services of local police, including information related to the Digital Saheli initiative, can also be accessed through the department’s chatbot number, +91 95999 64777.According to police, the cell was created to “provide immediate assistance to women facing cyber crimes”. Women can lodge complaints by calling the helpline number or filing a cybercrime complaint, following which the unit will initiate swift action to get the content removed and begin legal proceedings where required. Cyber Crime ACP Priyanshu Dewan told TOI, “In case a victim wishes not to get an FIR registered, she can still reach out to Digital Saheli. The dedicated team will ensure action within 24 hours by getting the objectionable content removed from the concerned social media platforms.”Police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said, “The identity of victims and complainants will be kept strictly confidential. The platform was also designed to offer a secure and accountable digital reporting mechanism. Apart from legal assistance, the cell will also provide counselling, mental healthcare and emotional support to victims to help them recover from the trauma associated with online exploitation.” Police said the message behind the initiative is that women facing digital abuse are not alone and can access immediate “help, safety and justice”. Meanwhile, police have revamped the police station. A rain garden was developed at the site, while the previously installed rainwater harvesting system was cleaned and repaired.
