Hyderabad cybercrime police arrest 35, take down 140 objectionable social media profiles

The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police arrested 35 persons from nine states in connection with 23 cybercrime cases during September and helped victims recover Rs 88.48 lakh. The police also removed 140 social media profiles allegedly promoting objectionable content.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police arrested 35 persons across nine states in connection with 23 cybercrime cases and facilitated refunds of Rs 88.48 lakh to victims during September.

Of those arrested, 10 were from Telangana, nine from Andhra Pradesh and six from Maharashtra. While Keralam and Uttar Pradesh accounted for three arrests each, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab accounted for one arrest each.

---

Officials said social media offences accounted for nine arrests, followed by investment fraud, digital arrest scams and trading fraud. The police also arrested two persons for identity theft and several others in connection with extortion, job fraud, customer care fraud and advertisement fraud cases.

The refund statement covered 38 cases involving reported losses of Rs 17.34 crore. Trading fraud victims received Rs 40.24 lakh, while Rs 24.68 lakh was refunded in OTP fraud cases.

Under its cyber patrol drive, the police identified and removed 140 Facebook and Instagram profiles allegedly promoting objectionable content involving minors, misleading advertisements and suspected fraudulent schemes.

The police also registered six FIRs for alleged public nuisance and rash or negligent acts during Ganesh idol immersion celebrations.