Kerala Police Files — Part III
TheNews21 visits Kerala Police Cyberdome in Thiruvananthapuram and examines how cyber intelligence, digital forensics, training and public-private collaboration are being used to strengthen policing
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM / MUMBAI: Kerala Police has identified more than 10,000 vulnerable digital assets, flagged 72,577 government-related credential exposures and processed over 2.25 terabytes of intelligence data as part of its expanding cyber-security and darknet investigation network. The figures were shared with journalists from Maharashtra during a visit to Kerala Police Cyberdome at Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, organised as part of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Kerala press tour. Cyberdome functions as Kerala Police’s cyber centre of excellence, bringing together police, technology experts, academia, private organisations and ethical hackers for cyber-security, investigation and technology development. Kerala Police describes it as a public-private collaboration model intended to strengthen cyber policing and build a more resilient digital ecosystem. Cyberdome The visit followed interactions with senior Kerala Police officials, including ADGP Cyber Security P. Vijayan, IPS, and provided a closer look at the technical systems supporting the state’s cyber operations.
From Reactive Policing to Proactive Cyber Defence
The Cyber Security and Advanced Crime Group under Kerala Police Cyber Division works on incident response, malware analysis, vulnerability assessment, digital security, cyber intelligence, training and technical investigation. Cyber Security Incident Response Teams have been set up in all 20 police districts, while specialised capabilities include malware analysis, website security, dark-web monitoring and identification of exposed credentials. The significant shift, however, is towards identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited. Under Operation NET-HUNT, Kerala Police says it has identified more than 10,000 vulnerable internet-facing digital assets across government, financial, healthcare and private-sector systems and informed the concerned organisations for corrective action. This takes cyber policing beyond investigation after an offence. It brings preventive cyber-security into the police domain.
Darknet Monitoring
A specialised Darknet Investigation Team operates from Cyberdome. According to the official brief, the team monitors darknet marketplaces, leak repositories, encrypted platforms and underground networks for cyber threats, narcotics trafficking and data breaches. The team also uses undercover digital identities for intelligence gathering and monitors credential leaks affecting government departments, police systems, healthcare institutions and critical infrastructure. Its own data records 114 intelligence and data-breach reports, 533 compromised Kerala Police credentials and 72,577 government-related credential exposures. The team says it has processed more than 2.25 TB of intelligence data and analysed breach datasets containing millions of records from more than 27,500 compromised systems.
These numbers are significant, but they also raise another question. How quickly are departments able to patch vulnerabilities once police identify them? Finding the weakness is only the first step.
Cyber Intelligence Is Also Being Used in Narcotics Cases
Darknet monitoring is not restricted to financial or data-related cybercrime. Kerala Police says its darknet team has generated intelligence relating to narcotics networks and shared information on 213 users for further investigation. Its internal analysis linked 15 users with 30 accused persons in NDPS cases, according to the brief shared during the visit. The larger challenge is that illegal markets operating on the darknet often combine anonymity, cryptocurrency, encrypted communication and interstate or international movement. That requires coordination between cyber investigators and conventional field police.
Training the Police Force
Technology alone cannot address cybercrime. Kerala Police has also created an online Learning Portal offering 12 cyber-related courses, including blockchain and cryptocurrency investigation, Open Source Intelligence, financial investigation, drone forensics, digital evidence, cyber laws, CDR and IPDR analysis, website investigation and child sexual exploitation material cases. According to the official note, 1,660 police personnel have undergone courses through the portal, including 800 selected Master Trainers from different districts. The intention is to take specialised cyber knowledge beyond a small technical unit and spread it across district police. That is important because a cyber complaint may first reach an ordinary police station, not Cyberdome.
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CyberWall Takes Prevention to Citizens
Kerala Police has also moved towards public-facing cyber prevention. Its CyberWall platform is described as an AI-powered digital safety assistant that allows citizens to check suspicious calls, messages, links, payment requests and online offers before acting on them. The service is currently available through channels including WhatsApp, Telegram and Pol-App, according to the official platform. Cyberwall This is a different approach from conventional cybercrime reporting. Instead of waiting for money to be lost and then asking the victim to call 1930, the system attempts to intervene before the transaction takes place. How effective that preventive layer becomes will depend on public usage and accuracy.
AI Is the Next Area
Kerala Police is also looking at Artificial Intelligence for future cyber operations. Its current roadmap proposes an AI Threat Laboratory, cyber range and advanced training centre, cybercrime research laboratories and expanded malware-analysis capacity. The 2026 edition of Hack for Policing (HAC’KP) is focused on “Agentic AI for Investigations — From Evidence to Intelligence”. More than 1,100 applications were received for the programme, with regional pitching events conducted across six states. The stated emphasis is on AI-assisted investigation under human supervision, with auditability, security and scalability built into the process. The use of AI in policing, however, will also require safeguards. Accuracy, audit trails, data protection and human oversight will be as important as speed.
Maharashtra Has Now Created S4C
The Kerala experience is relevant to Maharashtra for another reason. On July 27, 2026, the Maharashtra government declared the Maharashtra Cyber office as the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) on the lines of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Maharashtra State Police That gives Maharashtra an opportunity to examine how much of the cyber-security ecosystem should remain concentrated in a specialist headquarters and how much should reach district police. Kerala’s model combines specialist units, district response teams, training, public-private participation, darknet intelligence and public awareness. Maharashtra’s structure may evolve differently. But the questions are similar.
Does S4C have comparable darknet intelligence capability? How many vulnerable government systems are being proactively scanned? How many police personnel are being trained in cryptocurrency, digital evidence and OSINT? How quickly are cyber alerts converted into action at district level? and how much of Maharashtra’s cyber-security architecture is preventive rather than reactive?
These are questions TheNews21 will pursue separately. Kerala’s Cyberdome shows that cyber policing is no longer confined to registering complaints after fraud or hacking has occurred. The system is moving towards continuous monitoring, vulnerability detection, training and early warning.
The real test, however, is whether intelligence generated inside a cyber command centre can prevent the next victim outside it.
