Cybercrime biggest challenge, failure to curb it will have serious consequences: Telangana DGP
Hyderabad, July 16 (TNT): Telangana Director General of Police C.V. Anand on Thursday said cybercrime has emerged as the biggest challenge before law enforcement agencies and warned that failure to curb the menace could have serious consequences in the future.
Reviewing the functioning of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), the DGP said cyber frauds were pushing many families into financial distress, with victims losing their lifetime savings, and stressed the need for technology-driven policing to tackle emerging threats.
During his visit, Anand inspected the Cyber Lab, Security Operations Centre (SOC), Central Monitoring Unit, Social Media Unit, Child Protection Unit and Digital Forensic Unit, and reviewed their operational capabilities, technological infrastructure and investigation mechanisms.
Director, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau, Shikha Goel, along with senior officers, briefed the DGP on the latest cybercrime trends, investigation techniques, victim assistance systems and the bureau’s future roadmap.
The DGP also reviewed the bureau’s AI-powered Cyber Call Centre, which can interact with victims, collect preliminary information and simultaneously alert the jurisdictional police station for immediate action. Appreciating the initiative, he directed officials to further strengthen AI-based citizen services.
Officials informed the DGP that Telangana recorded ₹1,524 crore in cyber fraud losses during 2025, but the monetary loss had declined by 20 per cent compared to the previous year.
The number of cybercrime complaints also came down by 3 per cent, with 91,369 complaints registered during the year. The amount placed on hold in fraudsters’ bank accounts increased from ₹255 crore to ₹279 crore, while the recovery percentage improved from 9 per cent to 12 per cent, reflecting better protection of victims’ money.
According to officials, Telangana ranked first in the country in cybercrime FIR registration. Of the 49,620 cybercrime FIRs registered nationwide in 2025, 21,639 were registered in Telangana, accounting for 44 per cent of the national total.
The review also revealed that cybercrime accounted for one out of every four major crime FIRs registered in Telangana during 2025. Of the 86,177 major crime FIRs registered in the state, 21,639 related to cyber offences.
While other major crimes resulted in financial losses of ₹207 crore, cybercrimes alone accounted for losses of ₹1,524 crore, underscoring their growing economic impact.
Addressing officers, Anand said cyber policing would play a defining role in the future of law enforcement and directed personnel to strengthen their expertise in artificial intelligence, data analytics and cyber investigations.
He said the ongoing reorganisation of specialised police units, including Greyhounds, OCTOPUS, the proposed Traffic Management and Road Safety Bureau, and new specialised units dealing with narcotics and food adulteration, would facilitate better utilisation of manpower and enable greater focus on cyber policing.
The DGP said Telangana had the potential to emerge as the country’s leading state in cyber policing through technological innovation, faster response systems, enhanced public awareness and coordinated enforcement.
He also appealed to citizens to report cyber frauds immediately by calling the 1930 Cyber Helpline or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and advised them never to share OTPs, passwords or banking credentials with unknown persons.
The review meeting was attended by Director, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau, Shikha Goel, Superintendents of Police Harshavardhan and Sai Sri, Deputy Superintendents of Police, Circle Inspectors and other bureau officials.
TNT TS
