Indian agencies are stepping up efforts against organised cybercrime networks operating across borders. As a result, scam compounds previously based in Southeast Asia are moving to other regions, including Madagascar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, I4C CEO Rajesh Kumar said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the 4th Joint Cyber Crime Coordination Team (JCCT-IV) workshop in Hyderabad, Kumar said sustained action by the Indian government had pushed cyber scam groups to relocate their operations. The workshop was organised by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) at TGiCCC.
The meeting brought together 45 officers from 13 other states, along with representatives of 11 central agencies, including CERT-In, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU). Officials from 4 city commissionerates also participated.
Kumar said all states except 1 had notified their State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres (S4Cs). He also outlined proposed second-generation reforms to support investigating officers. These include a unified investigation platform, an RBI standard operating procedure allowing banks to stop suspicious transactions and special nationwide operations targeting cybercrime infrastructure, which are expected to begin soon.
He described the Supreme Court hearing on digital arrests as an opportunity for states to present their concerns before the court.
Focus shifts towards preventing cybercrime
Inaugurating the workshop, Telangana DGP C.V. Anand said cybercrime complaints increased by 24% nationally in 2024-25, while Telangana recorded a 3% decline. Financial losses in the state fell by 20%, compared with a 4% reduction across India.
Anand called for greater focus on preventing fraud rather than concentrating only on recovering lost money. He said criminals must be denied access to potential victims, communication channels, phone numbers and usable bank accounts.
TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said cybercrime networks continued to operate across jurisdictions, allowing masterminds and financiers to evade law enforcement. She called for intelligence-led investigations, real-time information-sharing and coordinated action across states.
The workshop also covered mule bank accounts, crimes against women and children, AI regulation and the use of artificial intelligence to detect cybercrime. Recommendations from the discussions will be shared with all participants for follow-up action.
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