Hyd CP Sajjanar calls for coordinated action to eliminate mule accounts, ghost SIMs
Hyderabad, July 10 (TNT): Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar on Friday called for coordinated action by banks, telecom operators, regulators and law enforcement agencies to eliminate mule accounts and ghost SIMs, describing them as the lifeline of cybercrime networks.
Speaking at the National Round Table on Digital Trust & Citizen Protection, organised by the Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) in association with Hyderabad City Police and Protiviti India, Sajjanar said cybercrime had become one of the most organised forms of crime, operating across jurisdictions through technology and social engineering.
He urged citizens to immediately report cyber frauds through the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930, stating that prompt reporting significantly improves the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions and recovering money.
Highlighting the growing threat, Sajjanar said Hyderabad city was losing nearly Rs 1 crore every day to cyber frauds and stressed that combating the menace required coordinated efforts by law enforcement agencies, banks, telecom companies, technology providers, educational institutions, industry bodies and citizens.
Calling awareness the most effective tool against cybercrime, he urged citizens to remain vigilant and avoid falling prey to online fraudsters.
A Citizens’ Handbook on Digital Fraud Awareness and Prevention was released on the occasion.
FTCCI President R. Ravi Kumar said rapid digitalisation had created new vulnerabilities, making collective efforts essential to build trust in the digital ecosystem.
FTCCI ICT Committee Co-Chair Pankaj Diwan said India, despite recording nearly 25 billion digital financial transactions, was witnessing over 10,000 cyber fraud cases every day, underlining the need for urgent and coordinated action.
The programme featured technical sessions on cyber fraud trends, banking risks, telecom-related frauds, legal remedies and emerging threats such as AI-enabled scams and deepfakes.
Participants also held thematic discussions on digital trust, banking transformation, telecom and digital identity, regulatory reforms and AI-driven frauds, and proposed recommendations to strengthen digital resilience and institutional coordination.
FTCCI said it would organise similar awareness programmes and stakeholder consultations periodically and release a White Paper based on the round table deliberations.
TNT TS
