Cyberabad loses Rs 104 crore to cybercrime in Hyderabad so far in 2026

The Commissioner has urged all banks to set up dedicated, centralised cyber cells and ensure timely coordination with police.

Hyderabad: Cybercrime in Cyberabad region has already cost victims around Rs 104 crore in 2026, even as total losses stood at Rs 438 crore for the whole of 2025.

Speaking at a coordination meeting with bankers, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Dr M Ramesh on Friday, May 9, said that online scams, fake investment schemes, pre-launch offers, call centre frauds, and cryptocurrency swindles have become a severe menace, pushing many families to financial ruin after losing their life savings.

Banks must step up

The meeting, attended by representatives of major banks including HDFC Bank, SBI, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bank of Baroda, focused on faster, more effective action against cybercrime in Hyderabad.

The Commissioner urged all banks to set up dedicated, centralised cyber cells and ensure timely coordination with police during investigations.

DCP Cyber Crimes T Sai Manohar flagged persistent delays in receiving account statements, KYC documents, and freeze confirmations from bank’s: as a major hurdle slowing down probes.

He stressed that curbing mule accounts, bank accounts used to launder stolen funds, is central to controlling the cybercrime menace.

Tighter controls on frozen accounts

Officials made clear that once an account is frozen, no debit transactions should be permitted, and any attempted transactions must be reported to police immediately. Concerns were also raised over delays in processing freeze and defreeze requests.

CSB SP Sai Sri, citing NCRB data, called for every bank to establish a dedicated Cybercrime Response Desk with updated nodal officer contacts and backup staff.

Branch-level training on cybercrime procedures and sharing of relationship manager details for corporate accounts were also recommended to cut response times.

The Commissioner appealed to the public to stay alert, verify investment offers, and report suspicious activity without delay.