Cybercrime cases rise 43% in Telangana in 2024

Hyderabad: The year 2024 would end up with an increase in cyber crime cases. According to DGP Dr Jitender there has been an increase of 43 percent in cybercrime cases.

Addressing a press conference he said a total of 25,200 cybercrime cases were reported this year which is up from about 17,600 in 2023. Jitender also mentioned that nearly Rs 180 crore was traced and refunded to victims, while another Rs 247 crore was frozen. Rape cases have also shown an upward trend, with nearly 2,950 cases reported this year. However, in most of these cases (99 per cent), the accused were known to the victims. Teenage relationships are becoming an increasing area of concern, the DGP added.

In response to a query about the status of the Red Corner Notice against some of the accused in the phone tapping case, the DGP said that the police have already initiated the process. "It is with the CBI. These international processes take time. Having worked with the CBI, I know that in many cases, it can take years. The international process is not simple, as there are numerous guidelines and practices involved.

He said Interpol follows several SOPs, and they will evaluate the case. It will take some time," he said. Red Corner Notices are issued for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve a sentence. Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. In August this year, the Hyderabad Police stated that it had approached the CBI to issue a Red Corner notice against two accused, including T Prabhakar Rao, the former chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Telangana, who is a key accused in the phone-tapping case.

The DGP said the former SIB chief and another accused are currently absconding in the case and are believed to be in the US. Four officials, including a suspended DSP of the SIB, two suspended Additional Superintendents of Police, and a former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), have been arrested by the Hyderabad Police since March 13. They are accused of erasing intelligence data from various electronic gadgets, with the phone tapping allegedly occurring during the previous BRS regime.