TG records 25% increase in cybercrime complaints, about 2,000% increase in refunds

TGCSB Director Shikha Goel, SP Cybercrime Operations Devender Singh and other officials of the bureau at the annual roundup.

Cybercrime losses for Telangana citizens stood at a staggering ₹1,867 crore in 2024, more than doubling the last year’s figure of ₹778.7 crore. The State recorded 1.14 lakh cybercrime complaints in 2024, up by 24.5% from 91,652 in 2023, as per the latest data shared by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB).

Amid the mounting cybercrime losses, the bureau helped refund ₹176.71 crore to 17,411 victims, over ₹168 crore (1,946.5%) higher than just ₹8.36 crore in 2023. A total of ₹2.44.56 crore involved in fraudulent transactions was frozen in various bank accounts throughout the year. With this, the State recorded a ‘complaint to FIR conversion rate’ of 18%.

Hyderabad with 20,299 cases followed by Cyberabad (25,112), Rachakonda (14,815), Warangal (3,531) and Sangareddy (3,132) were among the most affected regions in the State. Key victim demographics ranged from private employees (56%) and self-employed individuals (10%) to students and businessmen (9% each).

“The year was to put processes and infrastructure in place and get them started. Going forward, our aim is to launch victim-centric initiatives as well as inter-State operations to arrest cybercriminals,” TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said. Among the highlights this year was the significant increase in the refund and three inter-State operations. “Our aim is to not let Telangana become a cybercriminal hub,” the official added.

During the year, a total of 186 cybercriminals linked to 823 cases in Telangana and 3,637 cases across the nation were arrested. Noteworthy operations included the first inter-State crackdown in Rajasthan leading to the arrest of 27 offenders connected to 189 cases in Telangana and over 2,000 cases nationwide. This was followed by a major State-level operation that resulted in the arrest of 48 criminals, including 11 agents and 37 mule account holders involved in 2,194 cases across India. Another 21 cyber criminals involved in 25 cybercrime cases in Telangana and 73 cases nationwide were arrested in second such operation.

In addition, the bureau linked 585 arrested cyber criminals to 1,07,413 cases nationwide through CyCAPS (Cyber Crime Analysis and Profiling System) portal. Interestingly, a total of 14,885 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, 9,811 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEIs) and 1,825 Uniform Resource Locator (URLs) were blocked in 2024.

The bureau also conducted Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) across 29 police applications and initiated cyber hygiene audits, with Cyberabad and Hyderabad commissionerates already completed.

As part of its technological advancements, TGCSB introduced automated systems for the 1930 call centre, improving response rates from 60% to 85%.

Way forward

After building a strong defence throughout 2024, the bureau aims to carry to joint inter-state operations across the key hotspots in the country to target cyber offenders.

A centralised forensic hub, digital database to aid investigating officers in accessing tools and linking cases State-wide and a security operation centre (SOC) to identify, detect and mitigate cyber threats across all police servers are under way.

The bureau also plans to ramp up cybercrime awareness campaigns in collaboration with social media influencers and other organisations.