Hyderabad police arrest 35 cyber fraudsters from nine states, refund over Rs 88L to victims | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: The cybercrime police in Hyderabad arrested 35 offenders involved in 23 cases during interstate operations across nine states in Sept. Police registered 83 FIRs and refunded over ₹88 lakh to victims during the month.Of those arrested, 10 were from Telangana, nine from Andhra Pradesh and six from Maharashtra. The remaining accused were from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab.Social media fraud accounted for nine arrests, followed by investment fraud (seven), digital arrest scams (six) and trading fraud (five). Police seized 10 mobile phones and seven cheque books.Meanwhile, Zonal Cyber Cells received 2,767 complaints through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, registered 381 FIRs, arrested 11 people in 10 cases and refunded ₹67.54 lakh.Cyber patrols also led to the removal of 140 Facebook and Instagram profiles and 30 paid advertisements promoting fake currency schemes, fraudulent jobs and matrimonial offers. Overall, 1,457 profiles and 2,603 advertisements linked to illegal betting, gaming and fake investments were taken down. Nine FIRs were registered against promoters, police said.Police urged the public to beware of fake profiles, bogus investment groups, malicious APK files and digital arrest calls. Victims can call the cybercrime helpline 1930 or report fraud at cybercrime.gov.in.