In the first six months of 2025, city residents lost nearly ₹25 crore to cyber scams, a sharp jump from ₹3.39 crore during the same period last year. Data from the cyber crime unit shows 3,927 cyber fraud complaints have been filed so far this year, but only 70 FIRs have been registered and 69 people arrested.
Cyber officials say many victims do not pursue FIRs once their money is recovered. “FIR is not mandatory for initiating the refund process,” said a senior officer. In many cases, once the stolen amount is traced and frozen, victims withdraw their request for an FIR.
So far this year, officials have frozen ₹5.33 crore in suspicious accounts, but only ₹17.14 lakh has been refunded to victims, which is less than 1 percent. In comparison, ₹4.64 crore was frozen in 2024 and just ₹2.06 lakh was returned. Officers say that even when money is frozen, the refund process takes time due to legal checks and bank approvals. If the stolen funds are quickly moved through multiple accounts or converted into cryptocurrency, tracing them becomes much harder.
Authorities stress the importance of quick action. Victims are urged to immediately call the 1930 cyber helpline or file a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The first one to two hours after a fraud offer the best chance of recovering money.
Cybercriminals often use advanced tools to quickly transfer stolen money through various accounts and convert it into cryptocurrency like USDT. This makes recovery even more difficult, especially when the funds are routed to foreign locations such as Dubai, China, and Hong Kong.
While arrests have increased from 44 last year to 69 this year, most of those arrested are not the main culprits. Many are account holders who allowed their bank accounts to be used for a small cut, usually 1 to 10 percent of the total amount. These individuals are often unaware of the full extent of the scam and are used as pawns by larger cyber fraud networks.
In one recent case, ₹3 crore was moved through over 150 bank accounts in a digital arrest scam, making it harder for police to trace the money trail.
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