Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar
Hyderabad: Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar on Sunday, August 9, expressed concern over the growing neglect of elderly parents, saying the lack of family support was leaving many senior citizens increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime.
In a release, the CP stated that in the last 19 months, 403 cases were registered where elderly people lost Rs 102.02 crore to cybercrime. Senior citizens have lost Rs 55.88 crore to trading fraud, Rs 31.93 crore to digital arrest scams, Rs 4.94 crore to OTP fraud, and Rs 2.79 crore to investment fraud, he said.
He said that fraudsters are taking advantage of the elderly’s loneliness, even cheating them through ‘dating frauds’. Since January last year, senior citizens have lost Rs 70.11 lakh to such scams, he said.
Extensive awareness campaigns and warnings from the police have yielded results, reducing the average number of crimes reported from 24 cases per month in 2025 to 17 cases per month in 2026. However, he said certain “interesting things” have come up during the investigation.
He said that children were found not supervising their elderly parents’ transactions or behaviour and then complaining to the police that they have been cheated.
“It has been revealed that children do not even ask what their parents are doing on their phones under the pretext of a busy life. What kind of bank transactions are they conducting? Why are they acting so emotional or nervous? It has been revealed that after losing lakhs of rupees of their hard-earned money, they are coming to the cybercrime police station saying, ‘Our parents have been cheated’,” the CP said in a release.
Meanwhile, he appreciated bank employees for their vigilance, which is helping prevent cybercrime. “Whether it is elderly people suddenly cancelling their fixed deposits or unexpectedly transferring large amounts to unknown accounts through Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), there are instances where bank staff have responded immediately, talked to the victims, and prevented many frauds,” he said.
Cybercriminals are exploiting the fears and innocence of senior citizens and are looting their life savings, the commissioner said, and called on all the elderly to be constantly vigilant against such frauds.
He clarified that there is no such thing as a ‘digital arrest’, and no government or inspection agency will make phone or video calls and ask for money. He advised people not to believe in attractive part-time jobs and online trading offers that promise high profits on WhatsApp and Telegram under any circumstances.
He clarified that before investing in any platform, one should check whether it is registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and should not pay additional taxes and fees in the name of profit withdrawal. He also advised not to share bank details, OTPs, Aadhaar and PAN numbers with anyone.
“The good news is that many senior citizens are now becoming more aware of cybercrime. They are asking bankers to impose limits on their bank transactions to avoid falling victim to fraud. Recently, a retired Director General of Police also advised bankers to impose a limit on cash withdrawals of more than Rs. 5,000 on their cheques. This is commendable. Everyone needs to be similarly vigilant about cybercrime.” the CP said.
In case one falls victim to a cybercrime, they are asked to immediately call the national helpline number 1930 or file a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.
This post was last modified on August 9, 2026 5:35 pm