Telangana leads country in cybercrime refund modules: TGCSB

Officials have repeatedly cautioned that the process is free and warned of fraudsters posing as police or bank officials to extract OTPs and banking credentials from those awaiting refunds.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), working with field units across the state, has cleared refund orders in 24,268 cybercrime cases involving Rs 9.78 crore, bureau officials said.

TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said Telangana ranks among the top states in the country in using the Money Restoration Module (MRM), the national system that returns money lost in cyber frauds to victims once law enforcement and banks complete verification. She said the state’s lead extends beyond MRM to other national cybercrime platforms as well, including the Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM), Samanvay and Sahyog, where Telangana’s performance is rated the best among states.

The MRM, run through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, was rolled out nationally in June this year. Victims who get a Ministry of Home Affairs notification about an earmarked refund log in with the mobile number linked to their complaint, complete OTP verification, select the relevant case and bank account, and submit the claim online. Refunds are credited directly to the victim’s account after police and banks verify the request. Officials have repeatedly cautioned that the process is free and warned of fraudsters posing as police or bank officials to extract OTPs and banking credentials from those awaiting refunds.

Goel also said the e-Zero FIR system is now active in the state. Under this, cases where the financial loss crosses a set threshold will have a Zero FIR automatically registered by TGCSB, without the victim needing to first approach a police station.

The MRM figures follow a broader pattern of recoveries in the state this year. Telangana had earlier facilitated the return of Rs 445.41 crore to 59,953 cybercrime victims through Lok Adalats since that initiative began, with Cyberabad Police alone accounting for nearly half the amount recovered in the latest round. Separately, Cyberabad Police said they had restored more than Rs 25 crore to victims through the MRM portal between January and July this year.

Samanvay and Sahyog are both platforms run by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union home ministry. Samanvay serves as a shared data repository and coordination tool that helps police across states track cybercrime patterns and suspects, while Sahyog is used to speed up takedown notices to online intermediaries.