Hyderabad: Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar on Wednesday urged retired employees and senior citizens to remain vigilant against Cyber fraud. He warned them not to lose their hard-earned savings to online criminals.
Speaking at a special awareness programme organised by the Hyderabad City Cyber Crime Wing on the occasion of Cyber Jagrukta Diwas, Sajjanar said cyber offences were becoming more sophisticated with rapid technological advances. The event took place at Visvesvaraya Bhavan in Khairatabad.
The Commissioner, along with former Andhra Pradesh DGPs M. Ratan and Poonam Malakondaiah and retired ENC Karim, unveiled the *Suraksha Ka Tiranga* poster to promote public awareness about cyber crimes.
Sajjanar said conventional crimes such as thefts and robberies caused losses of around ₹30 crore in the city over the past year. However, victims lost more than ₹400 crore to Cyber fraud during the same period. He said criminals siphoned off more than ₹1 crore every day.
The Commissioner warned that fraudsters frequently targeted senior citizens through digital arrest scams, pension fraud and online banking scams. Moreover, he clarified that Indian law did not recognise any concept of a “digital arrest.” He advised citizens to disconnect such calls immediately instead of responding to threats made in the names of the CBI, ED, RBI or the police.
Sajjanar also cautioned people against online investment advertisements and trading links circulated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups. He advised investors to trade only through SEBI-approved brokers and authorised demat accounts.
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He warned that children using mobile phones for online gaming and betting apps could unknowingly expose family savings to fraud. Further, he advised people never to share bank account details, PINs or OTPs, even with family members.
The Commissioner urged victims to call the 1930 helpline or file complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal immediately. He said reporting incidents during the “golden hour” greatly improved the chances of freezing transactions and recovering lost money.
Former DGP M. Ratan said he had instructed his bank not to clear withdrawals or cheques exceeding ₹5,000 without his prior approval. He also advised senior citizens not to hand over their mobile phones to children without supervision.
Former DGP Poonam Malakondaiah said recovering money after Cyber fraud remained difficult despite police action. Meanwhile, he advised citizens to maintain a separate bank account with a limited balance for routine digital transactions instead of using their primary savings account.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes) M. Srinivas said cyber criminals constantly adopted new methods to deceive people. He urged citizens to remain cautious while responding to unknown calls and messages. He also stressed the importance of reporting fraud immediately through the 1930 helpline or the NCRP portal.
Institution of Engineers Chairman Ramana Naik, Honorary Secretary Ramesh Marri, DCPs Shilpavalli, Ramana Reddy and Rajesh, Cyber Crime ACP Shiva Maruthi, senior police officers, retired officials and senior citizens attended the programme.