Hyderabad: Cybercrimes in Telangana are on the rise with the Hindi-speaking ability of the people in the state being attributed as the major reason. A high number of people who speak and understand Hindi, use technology. These make Telangana unique among the southern states. It is exactly these reasons that are making money for cybercriminals.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures, 50,035 cybercrimes were registered in the country in 2020 and Telangana is in the fourth position after Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. A 13.4 percent of the cases registered in the state are cyber crimes which mark a rise in cyber frauds in contrast to traditional crimes.
Hundreds of cases are being reported, from hacking into the servers of banks and diverting money into their accounts, stealing the details of clients, emptying their accounts, hacking the computers of various organizations, and looting money by carrying out ransomware attacks. In addition to these, many cybercriminals call gullible people saying that they have won the lottery and have a chance to become a millionaire, and if they do not register their credentials like a bank account, transactions will be stopped.
People from Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal states, and the Noida area are said to be the masterminds of these crimes. Hindi-speaking states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have fewer bank transactions. Besides, owing to backwardness, online transactions and purchases through e-commerce sites are also limited.
Down south, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh have fewer Hindi speakers. Therefore, cybercriminals cannot talk to the people of the respective states. However, it is the opposite in Telangana where people are well versed in Hindi making it a hub for cyber crimes. Police estimate that in Hyderabad alone, up to Rs.100 crores are being looted every year, and if the entire state is concerned, it will be up to Rs.250 crores.
Officials believe that these can be curbed only by raising awareness. As per officials, Hyderabad saw a 10 percent reduction in the overall crime rate but cybercrime saw an increase of 75 percent during 2020.
