The Telangana Police, under the guidance of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), officially launched “Operation Crackdown” on Wednesday. This strategic initiative aims to dismantle the sophisticated ecosystems that support cybercriminals, with a long-term plan involving coordinated strikes over the coming months. DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy stated that the operation is designed to target crime-criminal networks across all districts and commissionerates to bring the rising tide of digital fraud under control.
The inaugural phase of the operation focused heavily on the identification and neutralization of mule bank accounts across 16 districts. Data analysis revealed that nearly 4,775 mule accounts were active in the state during 2025. On the first day alone, 137 police teams—comprising over 500 personnel—inspected 137 bank branches and scrutinized 1,888 suspected accounts. These accounts were found to have staggering connections to over 9,400 criminal links nationwide, highlighting the organized nature of these financial networks.
Preliminary investigations have raised serious concerns regarding institutional lapses and potential collusion. In some instances, single branches were found to host hundreds of suspicious accounts, suggesting that bank staff or organized agents might be facilitating the fraud. A notable case in Hyderabad’s Sultan Bazar saw a single account linked to 496 separate crime complaints. The DGP also pointed out a critical security gap where smaller banks, lacking independent RTGS capabilities, are being exploited by criminals due to inadequate verification processes during account opening.
