Telangana facilitates Rs139.68 Cr refund to 24,189 cyber fraud victims this year
Hyderabad, Sept 12 (TNT): Telangana police have facilitated the refund of ₹139.68 crore to 24,189 cyber fraud victims so far this year, including ₹42.28 crore to 3,896 victims through the recently held National Lok Adalat, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) said on Sunday.
The TGCSB, in coordination with the Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TSLSA), banks, digital payment service providers, police commissionerates and district police units, facilitated the refunds to the victims across the State.
In the National Lok Adalat, Cyberabad emerged as the top-performing unit, facilitating ₹14.19 crore to 942 victims, followed by TGCSB with ₹10.55 crore to 41 victims, Malkajgiri with ₹5.27 crore to 1,024 victims and Hyderabad with ₹5.02 crore to 530 victims, the Bureau Director Shikha Goel said in a release.
The TGCSB is also utilising the Money Restoration Module (MRM), launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs in May this year, for restoration of cyber fraud funds without requiring court orders.
The MRM became operational in Telangana in June and has so far facilitated the refund of ₹27.23 crore to 9,355 victims.
Through the Lok Adalat and MRM initiatives, a total of 13,251 victims have received financial relief during the year, the bureau said.
The TGCSB urged cybercrime victims to apply for refunds through the MRM and said it had facilitated the recovery of ₹514.93 crore to 73,204 victims since its inception.
The bureau attributed the recoveries to prompt response to victim complaints, effective coordination with banks, judicial support and efficient utilisation of the Lok Adalat and MRM mechanisms by police units across the State.
It advised citizens not to share OTPs, PINs, passwords or banking details with unknown persons and cautioned them against clicking suspicious links received through SMS, email, WhatsApp or social media platforms.
In case of cyber fraud, victims should immediately call the 1930 Cyber Helpline or lodge a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal within the “Golden Hour”, as prompt reporting significantly increases the chances of freezing and recovering the defrauded amount, it said.
TNT TS
