Hyderabad Police Crack Down on Cybercriminals, Recover ₹49 Lakh for Defrauded Victims

Hyderabad's cybercrime enforcement wing has intensified its operations, apprehending 36 individuals involved in online fraud schemes across five states during June 2026. In tandem with these arrests, the police recovered and restored nearly ₹49 lakh to victims who fell prey to digital scams.

The crackdown emerged from 52 first information reports filed following complaints lodged through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Investigators made progress in 14 cases spanning multiple fraud categories, leading to the arrests documented in the department's monthly report.

The breakdown of arrests reveals that investment fraud dominated the cases, with 22 accused facing charges in such schemes. Social media-based fraud accounted for five arrests, while matrimonial scam investigations resulted in six apprehensions. Job-related fraud schemes led to three additional arrests.

A particularly significant case involved a city resident who lost ₹1.22 crore through a fraudulent institutional stock trading platform advertised via WhatsApp. The investigation led to four arrests, with authorities seizing mobile devices, debit cards, cheque books, SIM cards and banking documents.

The Zonal Cyber Cells processed substantially more complaints—2,288 in total through the national portal during the same month. This activity resulted in 287 FIRs, 10 arrests across nine cases, and refunds exceeding ₹1.08 crore to affected parties.

Simultaneously, the Cyber Patrol Enforcement Unit identified 280 fraudulent social media accounts hosting 310 paid advertisements. These advertisements promoted prohibited betting platforms, counterfeit investment opportunities, child exploitation material and multi-level marketing schemes. Coordinated efforts resulted in the removal of these profiles from social media platforms.

The cumulative impact of cyber patrol initiatives has reached significant proportions. Since operations began, authorities have eliminated 958 fake accounts and 2,517 illegal advertisements, registering eight FIRs against individuals responsible for promoting such content.

The C-MITRA victim assistance programme has demonstrated considerable outreach, contacting 1,247 victims and registering 225 Zero FIRs to expedite legal proceedings.

Authorities have issued fresh advisories warning residents against prevalent scams. Citizens are urged to exercise caution regarding counterfeit investment schemes, phishing attempts, malicious application files, WhatsApp account cloning, matrimonial fraud and fabricated digital arrest threats. The police recommend investing exclusively through platforms approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, avoiding unverified links, activating two-factor authentication on accounts, and promptly reporting suspected cyber fraud to the national helpline 1930 or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.