New Delhi: India and the United States have formalized an agreement to enhance collaboration in investigating cyber crimes, marking a significant step toward strengthening bilateral security ties.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Friday in Washington by India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, and Kristie Canegallo, Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Investigations in the United States.
The MoU aims to deepen cooperation between the two countries in areas such as cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics, which are critical to criminal investigations. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this agreement will enable the agencies of both nations to collaborate more effectively and expand training opportunities.
In India, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, will oversee the implementation of the MoU. On the US side, key agencies involved include the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Cyber Crimes Center (C3) of Homeland Security Investigations.
The external affairs ministry emphasized that cyber crimes are closely linked to broader security challenges faced by both countries, including terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and more. The MoU is seen as a step towards strengthening India-US security cooperation and advancing their comprehensive strategic partnership.
