Hyderabad: Telangana witnessed a 49% rise in cybercrime cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. Overall crime also increased by 18% in the state and 17% in Hyderabad, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday night.The NCRB data shows that cybercrimes in the state were largely driven by motives such as fraud, cheating, extortion, and sexual exploitation. Officials noted that the increase in cybercrime cases, along with a rise in crimes against women and children, contributed significantly to the overall increase in crime across Telangana.In 2024, Telangana police registered 27,230 cybercrime cases, up from 18,236 cases in 2023. However, Hyderabad recorded a 17% decline in cybercrime cases during the same period.NCRB classified cybercrime cases under 16 specific motives and also detailed the nature of offences committed. According to the data, 21,987 cases were registered in which the primary intention of the accused was to commit fraud. Other motives included extortion (414 cases), sexual exploitation, political motives (55 cases), personal revenge (36), disruption of public services (46), and piracy (14).In terms of the nature of offences, fraud accounted for the largest share with 18,922 cases. Other major categories included online gaming-related offences (951 cases), fraudulent telephone calls (953), cyber blackmailing (220), and cyber stalking (298).The data also highlighted the growing burden on investigators. By 2024, police were already handling 15,738 pending cybercrime cases in addition to newly registered complaints. Final reports were filed in 16,084 cases, many of them categorised as “true but insufficient evidence”, “untraced”, or “no clue” cases. Chargesheets, however, were filed in only 3,177 cases, including those carried forward from previous years.Police arrested 2,171 individuals for their alleged involvement in cybercrime cases. Based on information gathered during investigations, authorities identified the motives behind the offences. In the chargesheets filed, a total of 4,359 persons were cited as accused.
