Cybercrime crackdown: TGCSB arrests 44 offenders linked to child exploitation, financial fraud
Investigations revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the content involved girl children, with victims’ ages ranging from 4 to 14 years, many of them from foreign countries
By - Newsmeter Network
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Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) conducted a one-day intra-state special operation across Telangana on January 8, arresting 34 cyber offenders, including 24 repeat offenders involved in Child Sexual Exploitative and Abusive Material (CSEAM) cases and 10 mule bank account holders linked to large-scale cyber frauds.
The coordinated operation involved 18 teams working across Hyderabad and several districts, underscoring TGCSB’s zero-tolerance approach to both financial and non-financial cybercrimes.
Repeat CSEAM offenders targeted
This was TGCSB’s second exclusive special operation against repeat CSEAM offenders. The 24 accused were found to be involved in uploading, storing and circulating sexually explicit content involving minors.
They were linked to 91 Cyber Tipline complaints, resulting in 24 FIRs registered under Section 67-B of the IT Act and Section 15 of the POCSO Act across TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations.
Officials said the accused, aged between 18 and 48 years, largely belonged to working and middle-class backgrounds, including one State government employee.
Investigations revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the content involved girl children, with victims’ ages ranging from 4 to 14 years, many of them from foreign countries.
TGCSB processed over 1.2 lakh tipline reports last year
TGCSB’s Child Protection Unit (CPU), set up in February 2025 in collaboration with India Child Protection (ICP), plays a key role in identifying and acting against online child abuse.
The CPU monitors social media platforms, cyber tipline reports and conducts cyber patrolling on the deep and dark web.
Since its formation, the handling of CSEAM tipline reports has increased sharply.
In 2025 alone, TGCSB processed over 1.2 lakh tipline reports, registered 866 FIRs and arrested 421 accused, while also forwarding thousands of leads to other States.
Four-year-old child rescued
In a significant breakthrough, TGCSB rescued a four-year-old girl after identifying locally produced abusive content during tipline analysis.
Based on digital evidence and field investigation, the accused was arrested, and the child was rescued and counselled along with her parents.
The accused, a 24-year-old security guard from Rajendranagar, had allegedly abused the child, recorded the act and uploaded the content online. A case has been registered under Section 67-B of the IT Act and Sections 3, 4 and 15 of the POCSO Act, and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.
In a separate case, a Junior Assistant in the Irrigation Department was arrested in Nizamabad for being a repeat offender in multiple online CSEAM cases.
Mule bank accounts linked to Rs 26 crore fraud
As part of the same operation, TGCSB arrested 10 mule bank account holders for facilitating cyber fraud.
These accounts were linked to 37 cybercrime cases across India, including 14 cases in Telangana, involving transactions worth approximately Rs 26 crore.
The arrests stemmed from cases registered at TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations in Hyderabad (HQ), Warangal, Ramagundam and Karimnagar.
1,689 persons accused of cyber crimes were arrested in 2025
Officials noted that since September 2024, TGCSB has carried out seven special operations, three inter-state and four intra-state.
During 2025, a total of 1,689 cybercrime accused were arrested across Telangana, with TGCSB accounting for 277 arrests, including 167 through special operations.
TGCSB Director Shikha Goel, IPS, commended the officers and teams involved in the operation, including senior supervisory and field officers, for their intelligence-driven and coordinated efforts.
Public advisory
TGCSB urged citizens to remain vigilant and immediately report suspicious online activity involving children.
Report cybercrime: www.cybercrime.gov.in (Women & Child tab) or dial 1930
Do not share or forward sensitive or illegal content, as even unintentional circulation can attract severe legal consequences.
The Bureau reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding citizens and children in the digital space through relentless enforcement and targeted cybercrime operations.
