Telangana police launch ‘Operation Crackdown’ to dismantle cybercrime networks

The Telangana police on Wednesday launched “Operation Crackdown”, a special Statewide drive aimed at dismantling organised cybercrime networks and curbing financial fraud.

The operation will be conducted in phases over the coming months by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) in coordination with district police units and commissionerates.

The first phase was launched on Wednesday across 16 districts and units, targeting mule bank accounts used to route proceeds of cyber fraud. Data analysis by TGCSB revealed 4,775 mule accounts were operated in the State during 2025. Of these, 1,888 suspected mule accounts spread across 137 bank branches in 16 districts were taken up for verification. These accounts are linked to 9,431 crime connections nationwide, including 782 within Telangana.

A total of 137 police teams comprising 512 personnel carried out simultaneous inspections at 137 bank branches, collecting KYC documents and scrutinising account details. Preliminary findings indicate that several branches host multiple mule accounts, in some instances running into hundreds, raising suspicion of possible collusion by bank staff and the involvement of organised agent networks.

In one instance, a single account operating from Sultan Bazaar in Hyderabad was found linked to 496 complaints across multiple jurisdictions. In Suryapet district, four bank branches were found to have 298 accounts linked to cybercrime cases. Police said cases would be registered wherever necessary.

Officials also observed that certain smaller banks lacking independent RTGS facilities were routing transactions through national banks, with inadequate verification of account holders, which is being exploited by cybercriminals.

The police said the operation would continue with intensified verification, analysis of financial trails, profiling of account holders and strict legal action against those found involved.