In a major step towards enhancing public cybersecurity under the guidance of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, Punjab Police inaugurated the Cyber Kiosk Machine for malware analysis of mobile devices at the State Cyber Crime Office in Mohali on Monday. A first of its kind Cyber Kiosk in the state, the machine is a significant technological advancement towards citizen digital safety.
The self-service kiosk, a pioneering initiative in Punjab, is designed to scan and sanitise Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as USB drives and external storage, from malicious, banned, or unsafe applications and files. Inaugurating the Cyber Kiosk at the State Cyber Crime office in Phase 4, Mohali, Special Director General of Police, Cyber Crime V Neeraja said, “The Cyber Kiosk is a public initiative for the citizens and has been set up at four places—in Mohali and CP offices at Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.
Later, the cyber kiosks will be set up in other districts as well.” Addressing representatives from public welfare and industry associations, the Special DGP emphasised that the kiosk provides a quick, secure, and free 24X7 service, with each scan taking just 2-5 minutes.
“There is no risk of data leakage—citizens can safely check their devices for malware and remove threats instantly,” she assured. She also urged the public to remain vigilant against cybercrimes and stressed the importance of immediate reporting via the cybercrime helpline— 1930 or the ‘Cyber-Mittar’ chatbot on cybercrime.punjabpolice.gov.in.
Answering questions of the representatives from the public, SP Cybercrime, Jashandeep Singh Gill said the kiosk identifies IMEI details, SIM information and performs quick and deep scans of applications and internal storage. “Users can uninstall infected apps, delete harmful files, and generate scan reports instantly.
The report can be sent to the user’s email or stored on a USB device. The system is user-friendly, secure, and operates through a touch screen interface,” he said. Developed by National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in collaboration with Arishti Info Labs, this kiosk brings malware analysis directly to the public domain — without the need for advanced technical skills.
The Mohali cyber kiosk has been set up in collaboration with Omaxe as part of their corporate social responsibility facility. Among those who attended the inauguration ceremony included representatives of Senior Citizens Association, Mohali, Lions Club Mohali, Red Cross Mohali, Rotary Club Mohali and Mohali Industries Association.