VIJAYAWADA: Over 3,000 people have been booked for cyberbullying, hate speech and targeted posts against government and individuals, and causing inconvenience to others, especially women from both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the last four years, cyber crime wing superintendent of police (SP) of AP Crime Investigation Department (APCID) V Harshavardhan Raju said.
Addressing a media briefing in Vijayawada on Friday, the SP said that serious action would be taken against those chargesheeted and advised people, especially youngsters to refrain from posting unverified, abusive posts and comments against women. According to sources, it is learnt that more than 50 per cent of those booked are Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) belonging to the two Telugu states.
Stating that the incidents of cybercrimes, online frauds and harassment against women in social media have been increasing across the country and the state, the SP explained that APCID has been using high-end technology to identify cyber stalkers based on their activities.
“The reason behind booking cyberbullies is to control hate speech and make cyberspace free from harassment. If people residing in other countries have been charge-sheeted, then the concerned embassies and international agencies will be alerted to monitor their activities,” Harshavardhan Raju maintained.
According to NCRB, the country reported a total of 5,52,972 cybercrime cases in 2021, of which 1,885 cases were recorded alone in Andhra Pradesh. “A dedicated toll-free number 1930 has been set up to take up the complaints from the public on cybercrimes and financial frauds,” he added.
Explaining other activities being taken by the CID cybercrime wing, SP Raju said that a cyber hackathon will be held in Visakhapatnam on October 7 and 8, where experts in the field of cybercrime from various parts of the country will participate in it.