Weekly cybercrime awareness drive intended to push Hyderabad towards becoming a cybercrime-free city: Sajjanar

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said on Saturday that cybercriminals have been effectively cashing in on fear and greed among the public, urging citizens to keep their wits about them in an increasingly risky digital world.

Speaking at the Jagrut Hyderabad Surakshit Hyderabad cybercrime awareness programme held at Charminar, the officer also led a rally and administered a cyber safety pledge.

Commissioner Sajjanar said that the weekly awareness initiative, conducted every Tuesday and Saturday, was intended to push Hyderabad towards becoming a cybercrime-free city. Police teams, he explained, have been going door-to-door on both days to educate residents. He admitted, with his usual candour, that far too many victims were falling prey simply because they had not been told what to watch out for.

He reminded citizens that volunteers were being encouraged to register as Cyber Simbas, adding that the objective was to have one active cyber safety volunteer in every household to safeguard both families and the wider community.

The CP said uploading private photographs and personal information on social media had increasingly been landing people in trouble. He noted that children were falling into risky online behaviour, with teenage girls particularly vulnerable to manipulation by strangers who coax them into sharing personal details.

“Parents need to rethink how casually they hand out mobile phones and to have frank conversations about safety. Senior citizens were frequently targeted through digital arrest scams and urged their children to stay alert,” warned the officer.

For those who do fall victim, he stressed the importance of immediate action, calling the first hour after the fraud the ‘golden hour’ during which money has the highest chance of being frozen or retrieved.

He asked the public to dial 1930 without delay and to file complaints on the national cybercrime portal. He also advised people not to trust unsolicited calls, links or apps, and never to share OTPs, passwords or bank details.

Additional CP Crime and SIT M. Srinivas, South Zone Additional DCP M. Majid, ACPs P. Chandrasekhar, Ch. Chandrasekhar, G. Shyam Sundar, M. A. Javeed and other officials attended the programme.