Shikha Goel, Principal Secretary of the Home Department and Director of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), has outlined a comprehensive strategy to combat cybercrime in the state. The 1994-batch IPS officer emphasized that cybercrime must be prevented before it occurs rather than only investigated after incidents happen. Her approach combines technology, artificial intelligence, public awareness, and coordinated action to protect citizens from increasingly sophisticated digital threats.
Modern cybercriminals rely on deception through fake calls, cloned voices, fraudulent investment applications, and digital arrest scams rather than physical violence. Telangana’s strategy focuses on prevention, rapid reporting, victim support, and collaboration among police, banks, technology companies, telecom operators, and citizens. The state has implemented a system where every cyber complaint is immediately converted into an FIR, enabling faster investigations and quicker freezing of fraudulent transactions.
The Crime Analysis Cyber Application System (CyCAPS), an AI-powered platform developed in Telangana, serves as a critical tool in the fight against cybercrime. This system links cases, analyses digital evidence, and identifies crime patterns to predict and prevent cyber threats. Police have intensified action against organised financial fraud networks, inspecting bank branches linked to mule accounts and targeting recruiters and organised cybercrime groups across the state.
Telangana has achieved remarkable results in reducing cybercrime impact. In 2025, while cybercrime complaints increased by 24% across India, they declined by 3% in Telangana. Financial losses in the state reduced by 20% during this period. From January to June 2026, cybercrime cases fell by 11%, while financial losses declined by 27%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the state’s preventive measures.
The victim support system has shown impressive achievements. The state has refunded over ₹436 crore to victims and compensated more than 55,000 victims. Law enforcement has arrested 4,408 cybercriminals, and the 1930 helpline response time has been reduced from seven minutes to just two minutes. Authorities have issued 27,900 refund orders and removed 18,663 unlawful URLs from the internet.
Despite advances in artificial intelligence and technology, Shikha Goel stressed that informed citizens remain the strongest defence against cybercrime. She advised people to pause and verify suspicious requests, stop financial transactions immediately if fraud is suspected, disconnect calls from unknown sources, and report incidents without delay. The combination of citizen awareness and technological intervention forms the foundation of Telangana’s successful cybercrime prevention strategy.
