How to File a Police Complaint or FIR Online in Patna, Bihar
This guide explains how to report a crime to Patna Police, use Bihar Police citizen services, provide the information needed for a complaint, and understand the legal difference between submitting an online complaint and registering a First Information Report (FIR).
Official Bihar Police and Government Portals
Use government portals rather than outdated third-party forms. The availability and wording of individual online services may change:
- Bihar Police Citizen Services Portal (CCTNS) - public services including access to available FIR copies and other citizen facilities.
- Bihar Police official website - departmental information, contact details and official notices.
- Bihar State Crime Records Bureau FIR search - search published FIR information by available fields.
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal - online cybercrime complaints.
- Ministry of Home Affairs: New Criminal Laws - official legislative resources.
The former Patna Police application at onlineapp.bih.nic.in/PP_FIR/Index.aspx was used in the original guide. Its historical form and exact workflow should not be assumed to remain operational; start with the current official portals above.
Steps to Submit a Complaint to Patna Police
- Choose the correct channel. Visit the Bihar Police Citizen Services Portal and check whether the service you need is available online. If it is unavailable, contact or visit the police station. For urgent incidents, call 112.
- Identify the incident. Specify whether the matter involves theft, fraud, assault, threats, missing property, a missing person, sexual violence, or another incident. A cognizable offence requires the police to follow the FIR procedure under applicable law.
- Provide the informant's details. Keep your name, contact number, email (if available), address, PIN code and a nearby landmark ready, subject to the form's requirements.
- Describe the occurrence. State the date, approximate time, place, nearest police station if known, sequence of events, persons involved, losses or injuries and any witnesses. Attach relevant documents or evidence only through an official facility.
- Submit and retain acknowledgement. Save any complaint/reference number or confirmation. An acknowledgement is not necessarily an FIR number.
- Complete legal formalities. Where cognizable-offence information is sent electronically, arrange to sign it within the statutory three-day period under BNSS Section 173(1)(ii). Ask the police for the FIR number and a free copy once registered.
Fields used in the former Patna online complaint form
The previous interface asked for the informant's name, address, landmark, gender, place of occurrence, nearest police station, PIN code, occurrence type, brief description, mobile number and email address, followed by a Post Complaint action. These are useful details to prepare, but the current portal may have different fields.
Historical screenshots from the original guide
Screenshots are retained for historical reference and may not match the current government website.
What Types of Incidents Can Be Reported?
The former complaint menu included theft, burglary, robbery, dacoity, chain snatching, cheating, fraud, blackmail, extortion, kidnapping, missing persons, murder, attempted murder, sexual offences, domestic violence, cruelty against women, riots, public-order offences, offences involving weapons or explosives, and other matters. You may also report loss of documents or property, but loss without suspected crime is not necessarily an FIR matter.
Police decide the applicable offence and legal provisions from the facts. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), generally governs substantive offences committed on or after 1 July 2024, while older offences may continue to be assessed under the Indian Penal Code and applicable transition rules. Special laws, including the Arms Act and other statutes, may also apply.
Legal Provisions Governing FIR Registration
Section 173 BNSS - Information in cognizable cases
A cognizable offence is one for which a police officer may arrest without a warrant in accordance with the applicable law. Section 173(1) permits information about such an offence to be given orally or electronically to the officer in charge of a police station, regardless of where the incident occurred. Oral information must be recorded, read over and signed. Electronically supplied information must be signed within three days for recording under the section.
Zero FIR: Because Section 173(1) allows information irrespective of territorial jurisdiction, a police station should not refuse to receive information about a cognizable offence merely because it happened elsewhere. The matter can be transferred to the competent police station for investigation.
Section 173(2): A copy of the recorded information must be supplied promptly and free of cost to the informant or victim.
Section 173(3): For specified cognizable offences punishable by imprisonment of three years or more but less than seven years, the officer in charge may, with prior permission of an officer not below Deputy Superintendent of Police rank, undertake a preliminary enquiry within 14 days to ascertain whether a prima facie case exists, or proceed with investigation as the provision permits.
Section 173(4): If the station officer refuses to record cognizable-offence information, the aggrieved person may send the substance in writing by post to the Superintendent of Police; if that does not resolve the matter, an application may be made to the Magistrate under the law.
Section 174 BNSS - Information as to non-cognizable cases
A non-cognizable offence is one in which police ordinarily cannot arrest without a warrant. Section 174 provides for recording such information and referring the informant to the Magistrate. Investigation ordinarily requires a Magistrate's order, subject to the statutory provisions.
Section 175 BNSS - Police power to investigate cognizable cases
Section 175 addresses investigation of cognizable cases by police and the Magistrate's authority to order investigation, subject to the requirements of the provision.
Read the official BNSS, 2023 (India Code PDF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs criminal-law resources.
If an FIR Is Not Registered
- Keep a copy of your complaint, evidence and any acknowledgement.
- Where the facts disclose a cognizable offence, ask the police station for registration under BNSS Section 173.
- If registration is refused, follow the procedure under Section 173(4) by writing to the concerned Superintendent of Police and, if necessary, approaching the Magistrate.
- For cyber-enabled financial fraud, promptly report it through cybercrime.gov.in and the national cyber fraud helpline 1930, in addition to any necessary police report.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an online complaint the same as an FIR?
No. A complaint reference or acknowledgement alone does not establish that an FIR has been registered. Verify the FIR number and obtain the recorded copy from the police.
Can I report a crime committed outside Patna?
Yes. For information disclosing a cognizable offence, Section 173(1) allows reporting irrespective of territorial jurisdiction (commonly called Zero FIR).
Can I get a free FIR copy?
Yes. BNSS Section 173(2) provides a free copy of the recorded information to the informant or victim. Published FIR copies may also be available through the Bihar Police citizen portal, subject to legal restrictions.
Can I report loss of documents online?
Check the currently available citizen services. A loss report and an FIR for a suspected criminal offence serve different purposes; the police determine the appropriate procedure.
Related Legal Judgments and Guides
This article provides general legal information. Portal availability and administrative procedures may change; verify the current process with Bihar Police.