Telangana crime review: narcotics, organised crime surge; grave offences dip

Telangana's half-yearly crime review meeting on Friday revealed a notable increase in overall crime over the past three years. Total cases rose by 7.15%, from 2,65,377 in 2023-24 to 2,84,363 in 2025-26. The crime rate per lakh population also climbed from 481.58 to 491.59 during this period.

Director General of Police C.V. Anand, who chaired the meeting at the DGP Office, urged officers to move beyond statistics-based reviews. He emphasised the need for deeper analysis of root causes, offender modus operandi, investigation quality, and case disposal. Anand also highlighted that focused efforts on the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) have improved data update rates from 70–80% earlier to 96% now.

Narcotics cases emerged as a major concern, surging 46.10% from 2,026 to 2,960. Organised crime cases saw a dramatic jump from 25 to 451, a 1,704% rise. Traffic crime grew by 9.48%. However, cybercrime and economic offences 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. However, increases were noted 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 sharp increases in Komaram Bheem Asifabad (70.88%) and Adilabad (60.71%).

Narcotics offences rose sharply in Cyberabad (90.98%) and Warangal (142.31%) over three years, while Adilabad saw cases nearly quadruple from 57 to 219. Crimes against women and children declined 1.54% during the year but remained 3.81% higher than in 2023-24. Traffic crimes in Komaram Bheem Asifabad rose steeply by 624.03%.

Anand directed officers to ensure timely data updates on digital policing portals. The meeting also reviewed 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 technology-driven policing initiatives. Budgetary matters, police housing, infrastructure needs, and rehabilitation of surrendered Maoists were also discussed.