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The Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police said it had rescued 1,212 potential victims of cyber fraud during 2025 through a series of proactive surveillance measures, intelligence-led operations and coordinated inter-State action. Of those rescued, 200 belonged to Tamil Nadu, while 1,012 were from other States, highlighting the increasingly cross-border nature of organised cyber crime in India.
Police officials said a dedicated Cyber Patrolling and Intelligence Team was established at the Cyber Crime Wing headquarters to continuously monitor illegal and fraudulent activities in cyberspace, including social media platforms, websites and messaging networks. As part of this exercise, the team identified and blocked around 1,507 social media accounts and pages that were actively promoting fake investment applications and fraudulent schemes, preventing thousands of users from being lured into financial traps.
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Focus on repeat offenders
As a preventive measure, the Cyber Crime Wing has begun opening history sheets for repeat cyber offenders, enabling long-term monitoring of individuals and networks repeatedly involved in online fraud. Officials said this approach was aimed at disrupting organised cybercrime ecosystems rather than merely responding to individual complaints.
A major statewide enforcement drive, Operation ‘Thirai Neekku’, was conducted between December 2024 and June 2025 to investigate pending cybercrime cases and identify suspects. During the operation, police examined cases linked to 654 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The investigation led to the arrest of 212 cyber offenders, with the total financial loss in these cases estimated at ₹193.97 crore.
Pan-India action against high-impact cybercrime
Recognising that many cyber fraud operations function across State borders, the Cyber Crime Wing also participated in a pan-India enforcement drive titled Operation ‘Hydra’. Under this operation, seven cyber criminals were arrested from States including Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam and Delhi for their alleged involvement in high-impact cybercrime cases. Police said these arrests were the result of coordinated intelligence-sharing between States and central agencies.
Crackdown on ‘cyber slavery’ and mule networks
In another significant initiative, the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing launched Operation ‘Blue Triangle’ to tackle international human trafficking and mule networks associated with the so-called ‘Cyber Slavery Scam’. These scams involve trafficked individuals being forced to carry out online fraud operations from overseas locations.
So far, 10 cyber offenders have been secured in connection with this operation, with four detained under the Goondas Act, reflecting the seriousness with which the State is treating organised and repeat cybercrime.
SIM box networks dismantled
Police said cyber criminals operating from abroad had increasingly attempted to bypass telecom safeguards by activating SIM boxes at multiple locations in India, allowing them to route fraudulent international calls through domestic networks. To counter this threat, the Cyber Crime Wing conducted intelligence-led operations across the country, resulting in the dismantling of 44 SIM boxes and the arrest of nine accused. Of these, three were detained under the Goondas Act.
Officials added that the deployment of advanced algorithms at international telecom gateways had significantly improved the ability to block fraudulent calls at the source, reducing the reach of overseas scam operations.
1,193 arrests in 2025
Overall, the Cyber Crime Wing arrested 1,193 cyber offenders in 2025 through a combination of inter-State and intra-State operations. In a move aimed at strong deterrence, 50 hard-core cyber offenders were detained under the Goondas Act during the year.
Technology, training and coordination
Cyber security experts note that Tamil Nadu’s approach reflects a shift towards technology-driven and intelligence-backed policing, where early detection and prevention are prioritised alongside arrests. Institutions such as Center for Police Technology are increasingly being seen as critical enablers in this process, providing law enforcement agencies with research support, training frameworks and tools to address emerging cyber threats.
Officials said cybercrime was evolving rapidly, with fraudsters exploiting new technologies, international infrastructure and human vulnerabilities. In this context, they stressed that proactive surveillance, data analytics, legal deterrence and public awareness must work together to protect citizens from digital fraud.
The Cyber Crime Wing said efforts would continue to strengthen early-warning systems, enhance inter-agency coordination and expand public outreach, as cybercrime becomes one of the most complex law-and-order challenges in the digital age.
