100 percent increase in cybercrime cases in Cyberabad

metro india news  I hyderabad

Ironical it may seem but the most vulnerable are the educated class who are falling prey to cybercrime. As per the latest statistics of the Cyberabad Commissionerate, there has been an alarming 112 per cent spike in cybercrime cases and in a majority of the cases, the victims are well educated and in some cases are doctors and engineers. Alka Agarwal, a sociologist says, “When greed takes over, all logic goes out of the window. Greed finishes all honesty.”

Senior police officials are shocked at the rate at which cybercrimes are increasing. There has been an increase in crimes by 64 percent in the year 2024. Total 37,689 criminal cases were recorded this year as compared to 22,859 last year. The 112 percent increase in cybercrime cases in Cyberabad Commissionerate alone is an alarming sign.    

In 2024, 11,914 cases were booked from 5,361 in the year of 2023. “What is alarming is the fact that the increase is in Cyberabad which is supposed to be inhabited by urban Indians and has a cosmopolitan population. There are a few lakhs of IT employees living and many from different parts of the country,” say Atul Mishra, a software engineer.

Speaking after releasing the round up report, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty said citizens in the Cyberabad commissionerate limits lost Rs 793 crore to cybercrimes this year. In 2023, citizens lost Rs 269 crore, he added.  

In cybercrimes section, Part time job frauds (3,267), trading fraud (1,686) and smishing fraud (1,276), Digital arrest fraud (1002), Vishing fraud (990), Advertisement fraud (756), Cheating by Impersonation fraud (612), Fake Customer Care Service fraud (523), Job fraud (520) and loan fraud (394) were the top 10 frauds in the cybercrime list in 2024.    

Cyberabad police commissionerate recorded 882 percent jump in the number of cases pertaining to digital arrest fraud in 2024, while only 102 cases were registered in 2023, now it increased to 1,002 this year, according to the annual report.

A total of Rs 71.28 crore involved in fraudulent transactions was frozen in bank accounts till now this year. The total number of crime cases registered increased from 22,859 in 2023 to 37,689 in 2024, marking an increase of 64 percent, highest among the tri-commissionerate in twin cities.

Cyberabad CP said non-fatal and non-injury road accidents saw a slight increase from 2,224 to 3,024. 

Economic offences rose from 1,551 to 2,140, property offences jumped from 2,904 to 4,681, cases related to dowry harassment increased from 1,030 to 1343, simple hurts offences jumped from 1396 to 1963 and Criminal Trespass offences increased to 1429 from 1034.   

Cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2024 saw a surge from 278 in 2023 to 421 in 2024, a substantial rise of approximately 51 percent, said CP.

CP said the road accidents in Cyberabad came down by nearly 5 percent. A total of 812 people died in 805 road accidents this year.

What is Digital arrest?

Digital arrest refers to an online scam where cybercriminals impersonate law enforcement officials (such as CBI, Police, or ED) and falsely accuse victims of involvement in criminal activities. They use phone calls or video calls to extort money by claiming the victim is under investigation and keeping them under constant surveillance until their demands are met.  In March 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a warning about cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement agencies like the Police, CBI, and RBI in digital arrest scams.