Crimes Against Foreigners Rise in Telangana, India
Hyderabad: India recorded 257 crimes against foreigners in 2024, up from 238 in 2023, the highest number since international travel resumed after the Covid years.
According to NCRB 2024 data released on Thursday, Telangana recorded 15 cases in 2024 after reporting only five cases in 2023.
The report recorded crimes against foreign nationals, including theft, rape, murder and human trafficking-related crimes.
The number of crimes committed by foreigners amounted to 2,792; This was largely influenced by the Aliens Act, Passport Act and narcotics cases. However, interestingly, while a criminal complaint was filed in 96.7 percent of cases involving foreign defendants, this rate was 68 percent in cases where foreigners were victims.
Leaving aside the Union Territories, where Delhi alone accounted for 64 of the 67 cases registered in all UTs and reported more cases than any other state, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of crimes against foreigners among the states with 41 cases, followed by Karnataka with 32 cases and Himachal Pradesh with 19 cases. Telangana ranked sixth with 15 cases.
West Bengal reported the highest number of crimes committed by foreigners with 992 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 386 cases and Delhi with 201 cases. Telangana recorded 44 such cases, placing it ninth among states.
Analysis of NCRB figures over the years has shown that crimes against foreigners have increased following the collapse in travel during the Covid years. After India recorded 517 cases in 2018 and 409 in 2019, the numbers dropped to 127 in 2020 and 121 in 2021, but rose again to 192 in 2022, climbed to 238 in 2023 and reached 257 in 2024.
Theft constituted the largest category of crimes against foreigners, with 62 cases recorded across India in 2024.
NCRB also found 20 cases of rape, 15 murders, 13 cases of kidnapping and kidnapping, 17 cases involving assault on women and 25 offenses under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
As for foreign victims, NCRB recorded 317 in total. There were 71 victims in Nepal and 52 in Bangladesh, followed by Myanmar with 16 victims and the USA with 15 victims.
Many of these cases involved migrant workers and victims of human trafficking from neighboring countries, rather than mere leisure travelers. Approximately 65 foreign trafficking victims were recorded in 2024, and many of these cases involved South Asian nationals in vulnerable labor or migration situations.
Cases involving Western tourists generally fall into the categories of theft, cheating or sexual assault in tourist hubs and metropolises.
In Telangana, the number dropped to six in 2022, five in 2023, and rose again to 15 in 2024; This means a 200 percent increase in one year.
On the other hand, in crimes committed by foreigners, violations of the Aliens Law and the Aliens Registration Law became the largest category with 1,360 incidents alone. Passport Act violations accounted for another 544 cases, while NDPS Act violations accounted for 372 cases.
When immigration and documentation offenses are separated from the total, the number of IPC and BNS offenses committed by foreigners is much smaller. While the NCRB recorded 163 cases of IPC and BNS in the states, 2,544 cases under special and local laws were recorded.
Country-wise charge data showed that 3,091 of the 4,794 foreign accused registered across India were Bangladeshi nationals, with most cases linked to violations of the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act. There were 509 defendants in Nigeria, with drug, cheating, counterfeiting and economic crimes being more common; There were 476 defendants in Nepal and 245 defendants in Myanmar; these were largely concentrated in Foreigners Act and NDPS cases.
While the police filed a criminal complaint in 96.7 percent of cases involving foreign defendants, this rate was 68 percent in cases where foreigners were victims. NCRB data also shows an 86 percent conviction rate in completed cases involving crimes committed by foreigners, while the conviction rate in completed cases involving crimes committed against foreigners stood at 56 percent.
Cyber crimes cross one lakh cases across country: NCRB
Cyber crimes continued their sharp rise in India in 2024, crossing one lakh cases, with Telangana among the worst-hit states.
According to the latest Crime in India 2024 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau, Hyderabad figures prominently among the leading metro cities reporting digital fraud and online financial crimes.
NCRB data showed that India recorded 1,01,928 cybercrime cases in 2024; This represents an increase of approximately 18 percent from the 86,420 cases recorded in 2023.
Crimes within the scope of Cyber Crime; defacement of computer resource documents, ransomware, dishonest receipt of stolen computer resources, identity theft, cyberterrorism involving the publication or transmission of obscene or sexually explicit acts in electronic form, interception or monitoring or decryption of information, unauthorized access or attempted access to a protected computer system, violation of privacy and confidentiality, publication of electronic signatures for fraudulent purposes, incitement to commit a crime, attempted crime, abetment to commit a crime, suicide (online), cyberstalking or bullying of women, sexual intercourse by deceptive means, data theft and scams involving online, credit and debit card, ATMs, online banking, OTP scams, gaming app or website, marketing or investment, fraudulent calling, e-wallet, cheating, forgery, defamation, spoofing, fake profile, counterfeiting, cyber blackmail or threats, fake news on social media.
These are crimes that include communication tools as tools or targets and are read under the Information Technology Law.
The spike noted the rapid expansion of digital payment systems, online investment platforms and organized international fraud networks targeting Indian users through fake trading apps, digital arrest scams, phishing links and impersonation scams.
Telangana remained one of the largest cybercrime hotspots in the country.
NCRB linked trend data showed that the state has consistently recorded one of the highest rates of cybercrime in India with 27,230 cases in the last few years, largely driven by online financial scams, investment scams and technology-enabled scams. Hyderabad also continued to stand out among metro cities reporting high cybercrime volumes.
According to NCRB metropolitan city statistics, Hyderabad recorded 4,009 cybercrime cases, placing it among the largest metros in the country after Bengaluru and Mumbai.
In particular, investment scams, fake stock trading apps, part-time job scams and digital detention scams have emerged as some of the biggest cyber threats in Telangana and the city, with cases recorded across Commissions.
Recent investigations have revealed that many organized fraud networks operating in countries like Cambodia and other Southeast Asian regions target victims in Hyderabad and other Telangana regions through fake law enforcement appeals and high-yield investment schemes.
The NCRB report showed that cyber fraud is no longer limited to tech-savvy users, with senior citizens, professionals, businessmen and students increasingly becoming victims of organized online scams.
Telangana police have reported a rise in financial fraud as well as cybercrime, which includes online betting, fake gaming platforms, child sexual abuse material, identity theft and social media-based cheating.
Cyber crime researcher Shaik Sulthan said, “We all know that we live in a cyber world. In this world, there will be no chain-snatching gangs and physical attacks, only cyber and online attacks over the internet. The main reason for this is Cyber Psychology. Fraudsters also use the same.”
“This means that they are playing with our minds and the information we provide on websites, shopping malls and social media. Fraudsters target people based on this information.”
For fraudsters, information is wealth. Have you ever thought about how your number goes to scammers?
The information we provide on the Internet is leaked. We can end this, but simple tasks like giving our information at restaurants or hotels are sufficient. “Our data went on sale like hot cakes. Simple measures like avoiding clicking on unknown or unnecessary links. Finally, there is no such thing as digital arrest,” he said.
Total number of frauds: 18922
Credit or debit card: 2,738 cases
ATMs: 855
Online banking fraud: 1781
OTP scam: 668
NCRB: Cybercrime rising sharply despite overall crime decline in India
Hyderabad: According to the latest ‘Crime in India 2024’ report published by the National Crime Records Bureau, India recorded a decline in overall cognizable crimes in 2024, but saw an increase in cybercrimes, crimes against children and crimes against the elderly.
The NCRB report showed that the country will record around 58.86 lakh cognizable crimes in 2024; This figure indicates an overall decline of around 6 per cent compared to 62.41 lakh cases in 2023.
The national crime rate also dropped from 448.3 cases to 418.9 cases per lakh population. Despite the overall decline, cybercrime has emerged as one of the fastest-growing criminal threats in the country.
According to NCRB data, cybercrime cases will increase by nearly 18 percent in 2024, crossing the one-lakh mark across the country. Fraud-related crimes constituted the largest share of cybercrime complaints recorded across India; This reflects the rapid rise of investment scams, digital arrest scams, phishing attacks and financial fraud through online platforms.
Telangana remained among the states most affected by cybercrime. Previous NCRB trend data showed that Telangana recorded one of the highest rates of cybercrime nationally, mostly arising from investment scams, fake trading practices, impersonation scams and digital arrest cases. Hyderabad, with widespread online financial activity, is among the major metropolitan centers where large-scale cyber frauds are consistently reported.
The report also stated that there was an increase in crimes against children across the country. NCRB data showed an increase of around 6 per cent in such crimes compared to the previous year, with kidnapping and offenses under the POCSO Act accounting for a major chunk of registered cases.
A sharp increase in crimes against senior citizens has also been recorded across the country. More than 32,000 cases were recorded in 2024; This reflects an increase of approximately 17 percent compared to 2023.
Investigators noted that older people are increasingly becoming targets of cyber fraud, fraud, intimidation and financial exploitation.
While traditional violent crimes declined marginally, crimes against women remained high across the country.
According to NCRB, more than 4.41 lakh cases of crimes against women were recorded in 2024; this is slightly lower than the previous year’s figures. The highest share of crimes against women continues to be cruelty committed by spouses or relatives, followed by crimes related to kidnapping and assault.
The NCRB report also highlighted India’s ongoing road safety crisis. In 2024, around 1.81 lakh people lost their lives due to rash and negligent driving.
They pointed out that metropolitan cities like Hyderabad are increasingly facing challenges associated with digital payments, online investment platforms, fake law enforcement impersonation scams and organized cyber fraud operations targeting senior citizens and educated professionals.
