The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested 49 persons from 15 States in connection with 25 cybercrime cases in July and refunded ₹98.89 lakh to victims, according to a report released by the Additional Commissioner of Police, Crimes and SIT.The Cyber Crime Police Station received several complaints through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), leading to the registration of 70 FIRs. The arrests were made as part of nationwide operations against cyber fraud networks.Of the 49 arrested accused, 29 were involved in trading fraud cases, five in social media-related frauds, three each in digital arrest and WhatsApp DP fraud cases, and two in matrimonial fraud cases. The remaining accused were linked to APK fraud, crypto trading impersonation, investment fraud, job fraud, POCSO and fake old coin purchase scams.The arrests were carried out in Telangana (13), Maharashtra (7), Rajasthan (6), West Bengal (5), Uttar Pradesh (4), Bihar (3), Delhi (2), Haryana (2), Jharkhand (2), and one each from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab and Uttarakhand.Police seized 25 debit cards, 23 mobile phones, nine cheque books, seven passbooks, five rubber stamps, three laptops, two PAN cards, two rental agreements, a UAE resident identity card, a credit card and a passport during the operations.Across 38 cases analysed by the police, victims suffered losses of ₹13.87 crore, of which ₹98.89 lakh was refunded. Trading fraud cases accounted for the highest losses, with 25 cases involving ₹11.75 crore and refunds of ₹58.23 lakh. Investment fraud cases resulted in losses of ₹1.50 crore, while digital arrest scams caused losses of ₹18.50 lakh.Meanwhile, zonal cyber cells received 2,059 NCRP petitions, registered 298 FIRs, arrested six persons in five cases and refunded ₹27.09 lakh to victims.As part of the Cyber Patrol Enforcement, police identified 128 social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram promoting online child exploitation, multi-level marketing schemes and fake investment websites. Officials said several of these profiles used referral links, promotional content and deepfake videos of public figures to target users. All 128 profiles were removed and a case was registered against one promoter.Under the C-Mitra initiative, police made 1,537 calls to cybercrime victims for guidance and registered 231 Zero FIRs.Police advised citizens to report cyber fraud immediately through the helpline 1930 or the cybercrime portal. They also cautioned people against fake investment groups, malicious APK files, WhatsApp profile picture frauds, impersonation scams involving government agencies and fake digital arrest calls. Published - August 07, 2026 08:27 pm IST