Social media delinquency gains spotlight in Telangana’s cybercrime

Social media influencers and YouTubers in Telangana continue to make headlines for different reasons than one would expect. In August, YouTuber K. Vamshi was booked for a stunt of throwing cash in the air while riding through a crowded Kukatpally road while in September, Harsha Sai, known for his philanthropy videos, was booked in a sexual assault case. This happened at the same time when YouTuber Praneeth Hanumanthu made sexually inappropriate remarks about a video of a father-daughter duo, leading to widespread outrage.  

Police officials, including those from Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), say that social media cases are on the rise this year with multiple arrests.  

The Hyderabad cybercrimes police have booked 266 cases in 2024 including hacking, impersonation, sextortion, honey trap, sexual assault, defamation, communal and political issues among others. The Cyberabad cybercrimes police booked 180 cases.  

Of the 266 cases, the highest number of 39 cases were booked against YouTubers followed by users of WhatsApp (34), Instagram (18), Twitter and Snapchat (3 each).  

About 18-20% of the total cybercrime cases are related to social media while the other 80% are financial frauds, says Hyderabad cybercrimes DCP Dara Kavitha. “This number is increasing. There are four categories which are seeing a surge — inappropriate content, harassment of women, politically driven cases based on sensational news, defamation of popular celebrities or political personalities and communal and religious content,” she said.  

“In the last 2-3 months, there was a rise in social media cases pertaining to the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency and communal/religious comments on online platforms during the festive season,” Ms. Kavitha said, adding that social media users are increasingly using their reach to instigate clashes and controversies not just online but in the real world.  

Impersonation or fake WhatsApp display picture, spam calls for sextortion traps and extortion are other common cases booked in the Cyberabad commissionerate limits, Cyberabad cybercrimes ACP B. Ravindra Reddy said. 

Police authorities work closely with nodal offices of the social media platforms to block inappropriate content. “The action from nodal offices takes time. Nabbing offenders behind fake social media profiles is a challenge without background information,” says TGCSB director Shikha Goel.  

On September 29, folk songwriter Mallik Teja was booked by Jagtial police for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman, who ran the YouTube channel with him. This came only a week after Narsingi police booked Harsha Sai on similar charges and popular choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, known as Jani Master, for alleged sexual assault of his colleague.

As the police continue to investigate these cases, officials say citizens should exercise caution while using social media platforms.

Published - October 24, 2024 07:55 am IST