Hyderabad: Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have arrested 47 people across seven states in a major crackdown on cyber fraud networks operating across the country. The arrests are linked to 36 cybercrime cases registered on the basis of complaints received through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Police said the operation focused on breaking the links of fraud networks operating across state boundaries and recovering money lost by victims.
During August, the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police Station registered 65 First Information Reports based on cybercrime complaints. The special operation resulted in 15 arrests in Telangana, 14 in Andhra Pradesh, eight in Delhi, four in Maharashtra, four in Karnataka, one in Haryana and one in Uttar Pradesh.
The investigation found that investment and trading frauds accounted for the largest share of cases involving the arrested suspects. According to police, 16 accused were linked to investment fraud, 12 to trading fraud and seven to offences involving social media. Other suspects were allegedly involved in OTP fraud, impersonation, job scams, credit card fraud, APK-based fraud and deceptive advertisements used to target victims.
During the operations, police seized 28 mobile phones, three cheque books, three SIM cards, one debit card, one laptop, one router, one hard disk and an Apple iPad. Investigators suspect that some of these devices were used to communicate with victims, facilitate financial transactions and operate different layers of the cyber fraud networks.
Along with arrests, the cyber police focused on recovering money lost by victims. During August, ₹99.79 lakh was recovered and returned to victims through various recovery and restoration efforts. The total reported financial loss in the 34 cases covered by the refund details was approximately ₹17.78 crore.
In one trading fraud case, a Hyderabad resident reportedly lost ₹25.50 lakh after his mobile phone was lost while he was travelling by bus. The device and associated digital access were allegedly misused to carry out financial fraud. Three people were arrested in connection with the case, and four mobile phones were seized.
The cyber police have also intensified surveillance of social media platforms. During August, officers identified 231 profiles allegedly involved in misleading or unlawful promotions. These included fraudulent investment schemes, betting promotions, fake job offers and other suspicious activities. Police reported the profiles to the respective platforms, following which they were removed.
Under the ongoing cyber-patrol programme, police said they have so far identified 1,317 social media profiles and 2,573 paid advertisements promoting illegal betting, online gaming and fraudulent investment websites. The identified profiles and advertisements were reported and removed from the respective platforms.
Nine First Information Reports have also been registered against promoters allegedly involved in advertising or promoting illegal betting, online gaming and fraudulent investment schemes. Further investigation is underway to identify the wider network behind these promotional activities and determine the flow of funds connected with them.
Renowned cyber crime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said the arrests across seven states underline how cyber fraud networks have evolved beyond local boundaries. According to him, such groups can operate from one state while targeting victims in another through digital platforms. He said investigations should therefore focus not only on individual arrests but also on tracing the complete money trail, bank accounts, SIM cards, electronic devices and digital identities used by the networks.
The latest crackdown also highlights the growing importance of coordinated cybercrime investigations involving multiple states. Investment and trading scams in particular often use fake platforms, deceptive advertisements and organised communication networks to gain the confidence of victims before extracting large sums of money.
Police said surveillance of social media platforms and action against suspicious advertisements will continue. Authorities are also examining the networks behind the identified profiles and advertisements to determine whether the same groups are connected to multiple fraud cases. Further investigation is in progress.
