Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In 2025, cybercriminals defrauded 8,126 people in Indore of over Rs 100 crore through various online scams, yet police managed to recover only 17% of the stolen money. Despite
the low recovery, authorities said it marks an improvement over last year’s figures, reflecting better investigative efforts.
Most incidents involved “digital arrest scams,” where fraudsters targeted elderly citizens. Victims were threatened with false claims that their bank accounts were being used for illegal activities like money laundering or that their identities had been misused. Fear prompted many to transfer large sums to the criminals, resulting in losses worth crores.
Commissioner of Police Santosh Kumar Singh released the annual crime data on Tuesday, highlighting police achievements in 2025. He noted that recovery from cyber fraud cases increased compared to 2024. Efforts to trace missing children also improved, with recovery rates rising nearly 51% over the previous year.
Crimes against women showed mixed trends. While harassment and eve-teasing cases increased, overall crimes against women decreased compared to the last two years. Officials stressed that strict registration of complaints ensured justice, aided investigations, facilitated money recovery, and led to the arrest of accused individuals.
Murder cases saw a slight rise from 2024, but police reported all cases were solved and the accused arrested.
The police department said its priority remains strengthening cybercrime investigations, enhancing recovery of stolen funds, and maintaining strict action against criminals across all crime categories, ensuring safety and justice for the citizens of Indore.
In 2025, 72 cybercrime cases were registered and 112 accused arrested. Prompt action on online fraud led to Rs 17.24 crore being refunded. Over 2,000 fake social media accounts were blocked, 1,200 hacked accounts recovered, and 25,124 suspicious bank accounts frozen via NCRP. Additionally, 52 IMEI numbers and 91 mobile numbers used for crimes were blocked, while 2,107 lost or stolen phones were traced and returned.”
Santosh Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police
