The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police arrested 35 people across nine states in connection with 23 cybercrime cases during September and facilitated refunds of Rs 88.48 lakh to victims, Telangana Today reported on October 10. The police also removed 140 Facebook and Instagram profiles allegedly linked to objectionable content, misleading advertisements and suspected fraudulent schemes.
The arrests were spread across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Keralam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. Telangana accounted for 10 arrests, followed by Andhra Pradesh with nine and Maharashtra with six. Keralam and Uttar Pradesh accounted for three arrests each, while one person each was arrested from Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab.
Officials said social media offences accounted for nine arrests. Other cases involved investment fraud, digital arrest scams and trading fraud. The police also arrested two people for identity theft and took action in cases involving extortion, job fraud, customer care fraud and advertisement fraud.
The refund statement covered 38 cases involving reported losses of Rs 17.34 crore. Trading fraud victims received Rs 40.24 lakh, while Rs 24.68 lakh was refunded in cases involving alleged OTP fraud. The figures indicate that the police action during the month included both criminal investigations and efforts to return part of the money reported lost by victims.
As part of its cyber patrol drive, the police identified and removed 140 profiles from Facebook and Instagram. According to the report, the profiles allegedly promoted objectionable content involving minors, misleading advertisements and suspected fraudulent schemes. The action covered online accounts rather than only individual complaints registered through conventional police channels.
The cases highlight the cross-state nature of cybercrime investigations handled by city police. Although the complaints were connected to Hyderabad’s cybercrime system, the arrests extended across nine states, reflecting the geographic spread between victims, alleged operators and digital accounts involved in such offences.
The police also registered six first information reports for alleged public nuisance and rash or negligent acts during Ganesh idol immersion celebrations. These cases formed a separate part of the policing activity reported for the period and related to public-order management during a major city event.
The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police’s reported actions combine enforcement, digital monitoring and victim-recovery measures. The next steps in the cases will include investigation, prosecution procedures and further action against online profiles or individuals where allegations are established through the legal process.
