Women-targeted crimes up by 3.16%

Crime against women in Telangana rose by 3.16% in 2025 even as overall crime in the State declined by 2.33%, according to the Annual Report released by Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy. A total of 20,551 cases of crimes against women across 11 different categories were reported in 2025, up from 19,922 cases in 2024. The crime rate stood at 94.33 per one lakh population.

Among the categories that recorded an increase were outraging of modesty, which rose from 5,940 cases in 2024 to 6,476 in 2025, marking a 9.02% rise. Murders of women also increased marginally, from 241 cases to 248 cases, reflecting a 2.9% uptick. Dowry deaths showed a slight increase of 0.79%, with 127 cases reported in 2025 compared to 126 the previous year.

Several other categories, however, registered a decline. Rape cases dropped by 13.45%, from 2,945 in 2024 to 2,549 in 2025. Kidnap and abduction of women and girls fell by 10.61%, with cases declining from 1,122 to 1,003. Dowry harassment cases also reduced by 2.01%, from 8,973 to 8,793, while cases of abetment of suicide among women decreased by nearly 10%. Bigamy cases saw a sharper fall of over 15%, dropping to 142 in 2025 as compared to 168 in 2024.

Police data in their annual report showed that in 2025, 2,523 rape cases involved known accused, while only 26 cases involved unknown persons.

Officials said 98.03% of rape cases during the year involved accused who were familiar to the survivor. Of these, 2,076 cases involved close family members, friends, lovers or colleagues. Neighbours accounted for 230 cases, while 217 cases involved persons working in close proximity to victims, including domestic workers and drivers.

The report noted that sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was newly recorded as a separate category, with 843 cases registered in 2025.

The report points to measurable outcomes from women safety interventions, particularly in enforcement and victim support. Anti-Human Trafficking Units registered 481 trafficking cases during 2025, leading to the arrest of 1,277 accused and the rescue of 929 victims across the State.

Meanwhile, four new Bharosa Centres were opened in Telangana during 2025, taking the total count to 34. Between January and November, the centres handled 3,558 cases, comprising 2,570 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases and 819 rape cases. The intervention resulted in 81 convictions, while ₹5.99 crore was released as compensation to 1,454 victims.

The cybercrime chapter of the Annual Report highlights Telangana’s outperformance against national trends, with overall cybercrime complaints in the State declining by 3% in 2025, from 85,766 cases in 2024 to 83,431, even as complaints rose by 41% across the country. Financial losses due to cyber fraud also fell sharply by 21%, from ₹1,753.11 crore to ₹1,378.34 crore, compared to a national reduction of just 6%, indicating stronger preventive and recovery mechanisms.

Interestingly, cybercrimes in Telangana dipped by 3% from 85,766 in 2024 to 83,431 in 2025 against a 41% increase nationally. Financial losses also reduced by 21% from 1753.11 crore in 2024 to 1378.34 crore in 2025, against 6% reduction across the country.

As per the data shared by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), savings from defrauded amounts increased by 23%, from ₹200.98 crore to ₹246.22 crore, while ₹159.65 crore was refunded to 24,498 victims through Lok Adalats and courts.

Telangana recorded the highest FIR conversion rate in the country at 24% in 2025, far above the national average of 2%. Police arrested 371 cyber offenders during the year in connection with 509 cases within the State, apart from 2,857 cases at the national level. Enforcement also focused on infrastructure used for fraud, with illegal telecom dens dismantled and SIM box operations busted with support from the Department of Telecommunications.

Capacity building and technology-driven policing formed a key pillar of cybercrime control. More than 31,000 cybercrime awareness campaigns were conducted statewide. Cyber hygiene guidelines were implemented on 8,570 government computers.

The report also flagged extensive threat intelligence action, including the identification of 2,491 malicious URLs, takedown of 1,311 links, and blocking of 8,979 IMEIs and 8,856 SIM cards.