Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has managed to facilitate refunds of Rs 85.05 crore back to victims of cyber fraud between March and July 2024, across all commissionerates and districts of Telangana. Of the total amount, Rs 36.8 crore has been refunded under the Cyberabad commissionerate, marking it as the top unit in terms of refunds processed.
“Since the implementation of these measures and the directives issued to all District Judges on February 20, 2024, a total of 6,840 petitions have been submitted to the courts. Refund orders have been granted for 6,449 cases, amounting to a total of ₹85.05 crore,” said the TGCSB in a press release on Monday, August 5.
The massive refunds were a result of collaborative efforts between the TGCSB and the Telangana State Legal Services Authority (TGLSA), which focused on the increasing cyber crimes causing substantial financial losses to citizens and difficulties faced by Station House Officers (SHOs) in registering First Information Reports (FIRs) through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
“A major concern addressed was the prolonged holding of fraudulent funds in banks without returning them to victims,” said the TGSCB. To combat this issue and to streamline the filing of petitions under Section 457 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been developed by the TGCSB with the TGLSA in February 2024.
This SOP was then distributed to all District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) in Telangana with the active persuasion of the TGCSB. “The collaboration between TGCSB and TGLSA, along with the active participation of the Telangana High Court, underscores a strong legal framework designed to address the financial consequences of cybercrimes on citizens,” said the release.
Importance of the Golden Hour
The Cyber Security Bureau has also underscored the critical importance of immediate action in reporting cyber fraud within the ‘golden hour’, meaning that such cases must be reported immediately after fraud is noticed. This will significantly enhance the chances of freezing the fraud amount in the accused’s bank accounts and digital wallets and facilitating potential refunds to the victims.
Victims have been urged to report incidents by calling 1930 or visiting the CYBERCRIME.GOV.IN portal. The TGCSB also reminded citizens that law enforcement agencies never make video calls and ask for the transfer of money to any account for verification purposes.
