Telangana Director General of Police C.V. Anand on Friday, 25 July 2025, directed all unit officers to sharply improve the State's standing across every cyber security parameter set by the Government of India, with an explicit mandate to break into the top ranks nationally. Telangana currently sits at 15th position in overall cyber security performance — a ranking the DGP called unacceptable given the scale of the State's policing apparatus.

Key Developments from the Review

The DGP convened a video conference with officers drawn from all police units to review three critical digital-governance pillars: cyber security initiatives, the e-Zero FIR system, and the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). The session was attended by Shikha Goel, Director of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TCSB); Rupesh, Superintendent of Police, T-SPARK; and Sai Sri, SP Cyber Security, along with senior officers from across the State.

Anand flagged that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, periodically audits each State's cyber preparedness. National rankings are computed on nine Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and Telangana's scores across several of them remain well below par.

Telangana's Current National Scorecard

The DGP presented a granular breakdown of where the State stands. Telangana is ranked 13th in e-Zero FIR implementation, 18th in money restoration with a recovery rate of 46.6%, 4th in GRM performance, 16th on the Sahayog Portal, 6th on the Samanvaya Portal, 16th in social media-related performance, 15th in overall cyber security parameters, and 8th in capacity building. The mixed scorecard underscores that while pockets of strength exist, systemic gaps persist across most indicators.

e-Zero FIR Rollout and Digital Arrest Scams

Anand noted that the e-Zero FIR system — designed to allow citizens to register cybercrime complaints online without visiting a police station — is yet to reach its full operational potential in Telangana. He commended the coordinated work of T-SPARK and the TCSB, which together registered nearly 20 e-Zero FIRs within two days, calling it a promising start that must be scaled urgently.

The DGP also highlighted the Centre's growing alarm over 'Digital Arrest' scams — a rapidly spreading fraud in which criminals impersonate law-enforcement or judicial officials and coerce victims into paying money under threat of fake arrest. He noted that the Prime Minister's PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) platform actively monitors State-level progress on such priority initiatives, adding a layer of federal scrutiny to Telangana's performance.

What Officers Have Been Directed to Do

Anand issued specific instructions to strengthen capacity building and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities to deepen cyber awareness among citizens. He also mandated effective deployment of CCTNS for cybercrime investigation, emphasising that technology-driven policing is no longer optional. Officers were told that improving all nine KPI scores simultaneously — not selectively — is the only route to a meaningful national ranking jump.

With the Centre's scrutiny intensifying and cybercrime volumes rising across India, Telangana Police faces both a governance challenge and a public-safety imperative as it works to close the gap with higher-ranked States.