Hyderabad: Telangana registered 15,297 cybercrimes in 2022, which was a 48 per cent rise from the previous year, accounting for 23 per cent of total cybercrimes recorded across the country, according to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau on Monday.
Although in 2021, there was a 100 per cent rise in cybercrimes in the state, recording 10,303 against 5,024 in 2020, the rise in cybercrimes continues to be a cause for public concern.
As per the data, a total of 64,907 cybercrimes were recorded across India in 2022, with the rate of crime in Telangana at 40.3, against the national average of 4.8. Overall, the country recorded a 23.79 per cent rise in crimes in 2022, up from 52,430 cases recorded in 2021.
However, the rate of filing chargesheets in Telangana was 17.1, much lower than the national average of 29.3.
According to the data, there were 10,116 cases of debit and credit card fraud, 3,223 online banking frauds, 2,179 OTP frauds, and 280 cases of cyber stalking or harassment.
Dr. Prasad Patibandla, a cyber investigation expert based in New Delhi, said that Telangana might have been reporting more cybercrime cases as people were not taking precautionary measures and easily falling into the trap of cyber fraudsters.
He said that another cause may be increased awareness among the public, due to which more people are coming forward to report these cases.
“In 2022, we have seen a sharp rise in investment fraud cases under the pretext of part-time job offers and many people, even those earning very well, falling into this trap,” Patibandla said.
The expert said that unlike in Telangana and other south Indian states, cybercrime cases are not reported regularly in the northern parts. “Even if people come forward to report, their complaints are not accepted by police and other law enforcement agencies,” he said.
The NCRB sought to clarify that ‘rise in crime’ and ‘increase in registration of crime by police’ necessitated better understanding. “Thus, an oft-repeated expectation from certain quarters that an effective police administration will be able to keep the crime figures low, is misplaced. Increase in crime numbers in a state police data may be on account of certain citizen-centric policy initiatives, like launching of the e-FIR facility or women helpdesks,” the report stated.
The report, however, said that an increase or decrease in crime numbers calls for a professional investigation of underlying factors about the local communities to address the pertinent issues.
TS tops cyber crime charts for 2022
Cyberabad commissionerate: 5,424 cases
Hyderabad commissionerate: 4,436 cases
Rachakonda commissionerate: 2,192 cases
16, the lowest number in the state, was recorded in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district
Top cybercrime states in the country
Telangana: 15,297
Karnataka: 12,556
Uttar Pradesh: 10,117
Maharashtra: 8,249
Tamil Nadu: 2,082
