Start with the actual notice or communication
Do not prepare from assumptions. Preserve the notice, email, message or call details and identify the police unit, officer, complaint/FIR reference, date, place and purpose stated. The legal position can differ depending on whether a person is a complainant, witness, account holder, intermediary, suspect or accused.
Prepare a transaction chronology
For financial cybercrime matters, prepare a date-wise chronology matching bank entries to the underlying transaction. Keep UTR numbers, invoices, payment instructions, platform records, P2P orders, wallet addresses, transaction hashes and relevant communications together. A chronology should explain genuine events; it should never be used to manufacture an explanation.
Preserve phones and digital records
Do not delete chats, emails, platform histories, wallet records or device data after learning of an investigation. Delhi Police describes IFSO as having cyber-forensic capabilities including mobile-device extraction, deleted-data extraction, imaging and hash calculation. Preservation therefore matters.
Do not guess when facts are old or technical
Where a transaction is old or the technical detail is not remembered, speculation can create inconsistencies with bank, device or platform records. Review available records before explaining a transaction and distinguish what is known from what needs verification.
IFSO is a specialised Delhi Police unit
Delhi Police's published manual describes IFSO as a specialised unit under Special Cell for complex and sensitive cybercrime, including investment/trading fraud, digital-arrest fraud, cyber extortion and cryptocurrency-linked activity.
Primary sources
- Delhi Police RTI Manual – IFSO / Cyber Crime mandate and 1930 helpline
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP)
Frequently asked questions
Does an IFSO notice mean I am an accused?
Not necessarily. The person's procedural status must be understood from the complaint/FIR, notice, investigation record and the capacity in which the person is being called.
Should I delete irrelevant chats before giving my phone?
No. Potentially relevant electronic records should be preserved. Deletion after learning of an investigation can create evidentiary complications.
What financial records should I organise?
Bank statements, UTR references, invoices, counterparty information, platform or P2P order history, wallet addresses, transaction hashes and relevant communications may be important depending on the case.