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Cyber cafes in fringes under police lens
Pune: Cyber cafes in rural areas will soon have to install a software, provided by the Pune rural police, in their computers to help police monitor the activities of visitors and keep tab of any illegal or terror-related activities. The police have issued licences and permits to as many as 125 cyber cafes in places like Indapur, Lonavla, Khandala, Baramati, Shirur, Junnar, Khed, Manchar among others. Jay Jadhav, superintendent of police, Pune rural, said the software, which is being developed by a city-based firm, will maintain a log of all the websites visited by users on each computer. “All the cyber cafes in the district will be connected to a server, which will be hosted at the Pune rural police headquarters.
The data collected will be checked by police officers on a daily basis. It will also help detect cyber crimes. The farthest cyber cafe is located in Indapur, which is about 125km from here,” he said. Various government agencies have prepared a list of objectionable websites. The software will record the communication, if found offensive, Jadhav said. It will also record log-in and log-out time of users to help ascertain his identity later. “The cyber cafe owners have been directed to keep a record of their customers, which at present is done manually,” he added.

Jadhav added there are 36 police stations in the district and local police will help cyber cafes install the software. Jadhav further said the police have learnt lessons from past instances like in the German Bakery blast case. Mirza Himayat Baig, the lone convict in the case, used to run a cyber cafe in Udgir in Latur. “Baig used the cafe to communicate with other terror suspects,” he said. The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism squad (ATS) had recently arrested an alleged top Maoist leader, identified as K Muralidharan alias Thomas Joseph alias Skaria alias Gopi Alias Raghavan alias Ajith (62), and his close aide Ismail Hamaza Chiragpilli alias Pravin alias James Mathew (29), from Talegaon Dabhade. In another case, one Sushma Ramteke (27) was arrested from Ganeshnagar area in Pirangut near Pune for her alleged connection with some Naxal organizations.