Half-year review shows sharp uptick in crime in Telangana

A half-yearly crime review meeting on Friday showed a sharp uptick in crime in the State over the past three years. Data showed that crime in Telangana was up by 7.15% over three years, from 2,65,377 cases in 2023-24 to 2,84,363 in 2025-26, with the crime rate per lakh population climbing from 481.58 to 491.59.

Addressing the meeting, Telangana Director General of Police C.V. Anand on Friday directed officers to move beyond statistics-based crime reviews and focus on in-depth analysis of causes, offender modus operandi, investigation quality and case disposal. At the half-yearly crime review meeting with senior officers at the DGP Office, Mr. Anand said special focus on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) had pushed data update rates from 70–80% earlier to 96% now.

Narcotics cases surged 46.10%, from 2,026 to 2,960, while organised crime cases jumped from 25 to 451, a 1,704% rise. Traffic violations grew 9.48%. Cybercrime and economic offences, however, declined by 13.29% and 13.28% respectively.

Grave crimes fell 10.33% year-on-year, from 7,019 to 6,294 cases, with Hyderabad recording a 26.23% drop. But grave crimes rose in Mulugu, Nirmal and Adilabad, prompting calls for focused attention on smaller and tribal districts. Non-grave crimes grew 7.28% over three years, with Komaram Bheem Asifabad (70.88%) and Adilabad (60.71%) recording sharp increases.

Narcotics offences emerged as a major concern, with Cyberabad seeing a 90.98% rise and Warangal 142.31% over three years; Adilabad district recorded cases nearly quadrupling from 57 to 219. Crimes against women and children declined 1.54% during the year, though they remained 3.81% higher than in 2023-24. Traffic violations in Komaram Bheem Asifabad rose a steep 624.03%.

DGP Anand directed officers to ensure timely data updates on digital policing portals and reviewed presentations on AI-based policing tools, CCTNS, TG-COP, Hawkeye, the New Criminal Laws, the Interoperable Criminal Justice System, EAGLE and the Forensic Science Laboratory’s functioning. Young IPS officers presented new technology-driven policing initiatives. The meeting also covered budgetary matters, police housing, infrastructure needs and the rehabilitation of surrendered Maoists.