13 States, Central agencies join hands to tackle organised cybercrime networks

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) brought together 13 States and 11 Central agencies to strengthen coordination and tackle organised cybercrime networks operating across State and national borders, in Hyderabad, on Tuesday.

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, brought together 13 States and 11 Central agencies in Hyderabad on Tuesday, to strengthen coordination and tackle organised cybercrime networks operating across State and national borders.

The Joint Cyber Crime Coordination Team (JCCT-IV), Hyderabad Region, was hosted at the Telangana Integrated Command and Control Centre (TGiCCC), with 45 officers from 13 other State law enforcement agencies participating in the workshop.

Representatives from 11 organisations, including the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and Telangana’s Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Department, attended the meeting.

Director General of Police C.V. Anand inaugurated the meeting, while Principal Secretary to the Home Department and Director of TGCSB Shikha Goel outlined the agenda. I4C Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Kumar presented an overview of the cybercrime landscape in the country.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Mr. Anand said Telangana had been ranked first in the last two reviews by the Prime Minister’s Office. While cybercrime complaints increased by 24% across India in 2024-25, they declined by 3% in Telangana. Financial losses due to cybercrime in the State also fell by 20%, compared with a 4% decline nationally, he said.

Calling for a shift from recovering money after frauds to preventing crimes before they occur, Mr. Anand added that this would require denying criminals access to potential victims, communication channels, phone numbers and usable bank accounts.

Ms. Goel called for a shift from case-based investigations to a coordinated, intelligence-led approach involving real-time information sharing and joint operations across States.

Mr. Rajesh Kumar said scam compounds were moving from Southeast Asia to Africa, Sri Lanka and other countries. He also said all States except one had notified their State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres (S4Cs). He also outlined proposed second-generation reforms, including a unified investigation platform, a standard operating procedure for banks prepared by the RBI to enable them to stop suspicious transactions, and special nationwide operations targeting cybercrime infrastructure.

The deliberations also focused on identifying nodal officers, establishing escalation protocols, strengthening the use of I4C platforms, and introducing preventive measures involving banks, telecom operators and digital platforms.