Pune: As cybercriminals increasingly adopt AI (AI) for sophisticated attacks, the Federal Ministry of Interior has decided to train “cyber commands” to effectively identify, intercept and neutralize AI-driven cyber threats.Training for two batches, including law enforcement officials, including officers from Maharashtra police, will soon begin at the Institute of Defense (DIAT), the University of Advanced Technology, a university considered a DRDO.“As cybercrime evolves rapidly with the integration of advanced AI tools in criminal activity, we have updated the syllabus of our training program,” said Manisha Nene, head of computer science at DIAT. Train them in how to investigate these AI tools used in criminal cases. ”The first batch of 30-person Cyber Command completed the course at the Institute in May.“People trained from police, especially Jammu and Kashmir, played an important role during Operation Sindoah and used the knowledge gained in the course. This feedback was passed on to us,” Nene added.The six-month course covers many aspects of fighting new kinds of cybercrime, including AI-generated deepfakes, automated phishing campaigns, identity spoofing, algorithmic attacks on critical infrastructure, and real-time manipulation of data streams.According to a report entitled “AI-powered Cybercrime Status: Threat & Mitigation Report 2025,” the AI tools recently released by Bengaluru's Global Initiative for Rebuild Environment and Management (Girem) have been linked to around 82.6% of all phishing emails.“AI is used not only to generate realistic email text, but also to create compelling dashboards, register typosting domains, develop dynamic and interactive phishing pages, and significantly improve the effectiveness of these cyber threats,” the report states.DIAT involves eight professors and is involved with DRDO scientists and other experts working in the field.“What's very important to us is to bring different perspectives and scenarios so that participants can work or investigate complex cases in real time. We also work on specific cases during class and simulate the situation by being exposed to real-world situations,” the official added.Sanjay Sinthru, assistant inspector at Maharashtra CyberCel, told TOI: Therefore, the role of highly trained police personnel is extremely important. These trained cyber commands become valuable assets for force in tackling advanced cybercrime. ”Sinthru pointed out that a very small number of staff members of the Maharashtra Police were able to pass the course entrance exam due to lack of theoretical knowledge.“There are many police officers and staff who excel at investigating cybercrime cases, but lack of theoretical knowledge prevents them from clearing entrance exams. We are working on changing this scenario,” he added.
