Cyber fraud victims in Visakhapatnam have received significant relief as the city police intensified efforts to track and recover stolen funds. So far in 2026, authorities have refunded ₹4.98 crore to citizens who lost money in cyber fraud cases.
Speaking to the media in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi said the city police have achieved a milestone by recovering and returning the highest amount of money to cyber fraud victims in the State.
According to the commissioner, since 2019, the police have refunded a total of ₹22.47 crore to 1,240 victims who were targeted by cybercriminals. He added that more than ₹20 crore of this amount has been returned since 2024.
“With the recovery and refund of over ₹22 crore, the Visakhapatnam City Police Commissionerate has emerged as the highest refunding commissionerate in Andhra Pradesh in cybercrime cases,” he said.
Sharing year-wise data, Mr Bagchi said that between 2019 and 2023, the police returned ₹1,10,54,183 to victims. In 2024, refunds increased to ₹3,75,56,655, and in 2025 the amount rose sharply to ₹12,63,01,520.
He explained that quick action on cybercrime complaints and strong coordination with banks and other financial institutions helped authorities recover funds and return them to victims at the earliest.
Police are also working with banks and other agencies to recover money that is currently on hold so it can be returned to victims in the coming period.
As part of the crackdown on cybercrime, the city police have arrested 558 individuals so far. Among them, 470 were arrested in cases related to financial cyber fraud, while 88 were taken into custody for offences involving misuse of social media.
Authorities have also introduced special measures to tackle fraud linked to instant loan applications. During investigations, cryptocurrency worth around ₹60 lakh was seized. Following court orders, ₹57 lakh was returned to 126 victims.
Despite ongoing awareness campaigns, Mr Bagchi warned that cybercrime cases are increasing rapidly. He urged the public to remain cautious and avoid responding to suspicious calls, messages, links, or mobile applications.
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