The Investigator’s Handbook: India Edition

What the India edition covers

1. India 1. Domestic legal process: who can ask for what, and how

   This chapter sets out the Indian instruments an investigator uses to obtain data, money records and electronic evidence from providers inside India: the production order in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the seizure and attachment powers, the Intermediary Rules and the CERT-In Directions. It also says plainly who cannot use those powers, what an electronic record needs before a court will accept it, and how a foreign investigator fits in.

   Sections in this chapter

   • Which texts this chapter relies on
   • Who can ask for what
   • Who may not use these powers, and what to do instead
   • Preservation and freezing
   • Subscriber data, traffic data and content
   • Emergency requests
   • Takedown is a different tool from production
   • User notice and non-disclosure
   • Interception: awareness only
   • How a foreign investigator relates to Indian law
   • Admissibility of electronic records: the section 63 certificate
   • Worked example (generic)
   • Checklist

2. India 2. Internet and telecom providers: finding who to serve

   This chapter shows how to work out which Indian company holds the subscriber record behind an IP address, a mobile number or a domain, what the licensing and retention rules say that company must keep, and where to find a contact. It then explains how the large foreign and Indian platforms with an Indian presence receive local requests, and where this book’s directory stops being useful.

   Sections in this chapter

   • Regulators and licensing
   • From an IP address to a provider
   • Domains
   • From a mobile number to a provider
   • What a telecom or internet provider must keep
   • Who to serve, and what our directory gives you
   • Platforms with a local presence
   • Worked example (generic)
   • Checklist

3. India 3. Banks, wallets and national reporting: money and complaints

   This chapter explains how a cyber-fraud loss in India is reported, how funds are put on hold across banks and wallets, what the customer’s bank must do and by when under RBI rules, and where a victim, or an account holder whose money was held, can escalate. It uses the Ministry of Home Affairs Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) as the working document.

   Sections in this chapter

   • Reporting: the portal and 1930
   • How funds are held and traced
   • Grievances and getting the money back to the victim
   • What the customer’s bank must do, and by when
   • The complaint ladder for the account holder
   • Our pages for victims and officers
   • Official figures
   • Worked example (generic)
   • Checklist

4. India 4. Cross-border: treaties, platform routes and what India’s authorities can send out

   This chapter sets out India’s treaty position, the central authority and the procedure for outgoing and incoming mutual legal assistance, how Indian requests reach US platforms, and what a foreign agency should send to reach Indian providers or banks. It ends with a decision flow and a checklist.

   Sections in this chapter

   • Treaty and convention position
   • The central authority and the procedure
   • Police-to-police channels
   • How Indian requests reach US platforms
   • What a foreign agency should send to reach Indian providers or banks
   • Decision flow
   • Checklist

5. India 5. Templates, contacts and quick reference

   This chapter gives the national agencies you will deal with, three ready-to-adapt templates written for Indian law (a preservation request, a production order or application, and an emergency request), a one-page “who do I call first” table by case type, and a quick-reference card of sections and time limits. Chapters 1 to 4 explain the law behind each item.

   Sections in this chapter

   • National agencies
   • Template 1: Preservation request to a domestic provider
   • Template 2: Records request and production application
   • Template 3: Emergency request
   • Who do I call first?
   • Quick reference

Every edition also includes the global reference: how data requests work, the seven big platforms, the 116-service directory, country routes, cryptocurrency, evidence handling, templates and a glossary. See the full contents or try the free First 24 Hours checklist.

Related directories for India

• India ISP and telecom directory
• Bank fraud help in India
• How police in India request data from platforms
• Cybercrime agencies in India
• Law-enforcement request hub (LERS)

Questions