Hyderabad: Telangana’s growing cybercrime problem has come under the spotlight after two major reports flagged digital fraud and cyber insecurity as emerging risks to both governance and investment.While the World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified cyber insecurity as India’s biggest national risk over the next two years, a NITI Aayog-backed study shows Telangana recording cybercrime and economic offence rates far above the national average.
The Investment Friendliness Index 2026 found that Telangana reported 43 cybercrime cases per lakh population, compared with the national average of five. The state also recorded 75 economic offence cases per lakh population against the national average of 16, placing it among the poorest performers on both counts.The report said that the high incidence of cyber and economic offences could raise concerns about the institutional environment and dent investor confidence if not addressed effectively.The warning gains significance against the backdrop of the WEF’s Global Risks Report 2026, which ranked cyber insecurity as the sixth most severe global risk over the next two years and the top national risk for India. The report cautioned that rapid digitisation, artificial intelligence, misinformation campaigns, and geopolitical tensions are increasing vulnerabilities in digital systems worldwide.Of the 116 economies covered by the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey, only nine identified cyber insecurity among their most serious national risks. Along with India, countries such as Azerbaijan and Mali ranked it as their top concern, while several European nations also highlighted the threat of cyber attacks and cyber warfare.The concern is reflected in India’s rising cybercrime numbers. According to NCRB data, the country registered 1,01,928 cybercrime cases in 2024, a 17.9% increase from 86,420 cases in 2023. Online fraud accounted for nearly three-fourths of all cybercrime cases, with 73,987 incidents reported nationwide.Experts involved in the WEF study have called for stronger cyber resilience, greater public awareness, improved digital literacy, and closer cooperation between govts and the private sector to counter evolving cyber threats.For Telangana, the findings underscore that tackling cybercrime, and digital financial fraud may be as critical to sustaining investor confidence as building physical infrastructure such as roads, power networks and industrial parks.
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