Telangana facilitates Rs 85.05 crore refund to cyber fraud victims

Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has set a new benchmark by facilitating the refund of Rs 85.05 crore to victims of cyber fraud from March to July 2024, across all commissionerates and districts of Telangana.

TGCSB focused on the increasing cybercrimes causing substantial financial losses to citizens, as well as the difficulties faced by Station House Officers (SHOs) in registering First Information Reports (FIRs) through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

A major concern addressed was the prolonged holding of fraudulent funds in banks without returning them to victims. To streamline the filing of petitions under Section 457 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was developed by the TGCSB with the collaboration of the Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TGLSA) in February 2024 and distributed to all District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) in Telangana with the active persuasion of the TGCSB.

Following the implementation of these measures and the directives issued to all district judges on February 20, 2024, the courts have received a total of 6,840 petitions. Refund orders have been granted for 6,449 cases, amounting to a total of Rs 85.05 crore. Of this amount, Rs 36.8 crore has been refunded in the Cyberabad commissionerate, marking it as the top unit in terms of refunds processed.

This initiative represents a major advancement in providing prompt financial relief to victims of cyber fraud and establishing a new benchmark for cybersecurity and legal response in Telangana, said a senior official of TGCSB.

The Cyber Security Bureau underscored the critical importance of immediate action in reporting cyber fraud within the “golden hour,” i.e., at the very moment it is realised or suspected. Immediate reporting significantly enhances the chances of freezing the fraud amount in the accused person's bank accounts and digital wallets, thereby facilitating potential refunds to the victims. The TGCSB had been urged to report incidents promptly by calling 1930 or visiting the Cybercrime.gov.in portal.