In a major crackdown on cyber fraud networks, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested 55 people across 7 states during October 2026. The operations covered 38 cybercrime cases and resulted in ₹49.99 lakh being refunded to victims. The police also registered 129 FIRs following complaints received through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
Trading and OTP fraud account for most arrests
Of the 55 arrested individuals, 20 were linked to trading fraud, 10 to OTP fraud and 7 to social media-related offences. The remaining arrests included 4 each in investment fraud and business fraud, 3 each in digital arrest and APK fraud, 2 in miscellaneous cases, and 1 each in money laundering and honey trap cases.
Maharashtra and Telangana recorded the highest number of arrests, with 16 each. Andhra Pradesh followed with 9, Gujarat with 7, Delhi with 5, while Haryana and Uttar Pradesh reported 1 arrest each.
During the operations, police seized 37 mobile phones, 10 debit and credit cards, 8 cheque books and 6 bank passbooks.
₹49.99 lakh refunded across multiple fraud categories
Trading fraud victims received the highest refund of ₹34.20 lakh, followed by ₹9.54 lakh returned in digital arrest cases and ₹5.13 lakh in investment fraud cases.
Other refunds included ₹83,000 in APK fraud, ₹19,024 in part-time job fraud and ₹10,000 in advertisement fraud. The refund statement covered 56 cases involving total reported losses of ₹25.46 crore.
Zonal Cyber Cells register additional cases
Separately, Zonal Cyber Cells received 2,649 NCRP petitions during October. They registered 393 FIRs, arrested 18 people in 14 cases and facilitated refunds worth ₹25.96 lakh to victims.
The unit also identified and removed 1,558 social media profiles and 2,631 paid promotional advertisements linked to online gaming, illegal betting and fake investment websites targeting Indian users. Authorities registered 10 FIRs against those promoting these activities.
Police urge victims to report cyber fraud immediately
Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have advised people affected by online fraud to report incidents without delay through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the official portal, www.cybercrime.gov.in.
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