Telangana sees sharp dip in cybercrime

Telangana has reported a marked decline in both cybercrime complaints and financial losses in the first four months of 2025. The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) attributes this drop to aggressive public outreach, faster complaint resolution, and an expanding tech-led enforcement framework.

According to figures revealed by the bureau, financial cybercrime complaints between January and April fell by 11% compared to the same period last year. The trend held steady with a further 5.5% drop against the preceding quarter (September-December 2024).

Cases of financial losses in Telangana dropped by 19% compared to early 2024. Across India, losses rose by 12% in the same time.

The TGCSB also recorded an improvement in its recovery rate, the Percentage of Hold (POH), with 16% of defrauded money retrieved in 2025 so far, up from 13% last year.

Besides, number of FIRs registered has risen from 6,763 in early 2024 to 7,575 this year. More strikingly, arrests have tripled, 626 accused have been taken into custody so far, compared to just 230 in the same period last year. Prisoner Transit (PT) warrant executions, a key marker of cross-jurisdictional policing, increased from 53 to 89.

The bureau says its transformation into a tech-savvy crime-fighting outfit has played a crucial role. Data analytics, digital profiling, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools are now being routinely deployed. This has led to two major interstate operations and three intrastate field-level crackdowns in the last four months alone.

The launch of the 1930 chatbot and a redesigned IVR system have reduced average reporting time from over six minutes to within three.

TGCSB Director Shikha Goel credits this to a blend of quick response, granular data monitoring, and deeper integration with district police teams. “The focus is no longer just on reacting to complaints. We are identifying hotspots, pre-empting fraud patterns, and moving faster than fraudsters,” she said.

Published - June 01, 2025 10:09 pm IST