Telangana Police have successfully refunded Rs 139.68 crore to 24,189 victims this year, leveraging new digital recovery channels to expedite the return of stolen money amid increasing cyber fraud cases.
Telangana Police have helped return Rs 139.68 crore to 24,189 cyber fraud victims so far in 2026, according to Telangana Cyber Security Bureau director Shikha Goel, as the state expands two recovery channels designed to get stolen money back to victims faster. The latest figure reflects a combination of court-led Lok Adalat settlements and the Money Restoration Module, a central government system that allows refunds without a court order once claims are verified.
At the most recent national Lok Adalat in Hyderabad, the bureau, working with the Telangana State Legal Services Authority, banks, digital payment providers and police units across the state, facilitated refunds of Rs 42.28 crore to 3,896 victims. Cyberabad Police Commissionerate led the field with Rs 14.19 crore returned to 942 victims, while the TGCSB itself secured Rs 10.55 crore for 41 victims. Malkajgiri police followed with Rs 5.27 crore for 1,024 victims, Hyderabad police recovered Rs 5.02 crore for 530 victims and Suryapet police helped refund Rs 76 lakh to 34 victims.
The bureau has also leaned on the Money Restoration Module, launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs in May and operating in Telangana since June. Goel said Rs 27.23 crore had been refunded to 9,355 victims through the platform as of September 12, bringing the total number of people who received relief this year through the two mechanisms to 13,251. Telangana Today reported that victims are being urged to use only the official portal after receiving SMS alerts, complete OTP verification and avoid anyone asking for payment or personal banking details to speed up the process.
The bureau said it has now facilitated Rs 514.93 crore in refunds for 73,204 victims since its creation, underlining Telangana’s position as one of the most active states in recovering cybercrime losses. Earlier this year, Lok Adalat drives in March and June returned nearly Rs 25 crore and Rs 45.21 crore respectively, with Cyberabad again among the strongest performers. Goel said the bureau remains focused on strengthening recovery efforts through quicker complaints, bank coordination and legal support, while warning the public not to share OTPs, PINs, passwords or bank details, and to report fraud immediately through the 1930 helpline or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal within the so-called golden hour.
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