Hyderabad: Overall crime in Telangana registered a decline of 2.33 per cent in 2025, with the state maintaining a firm grip on law and order. Announcing the annual crime review on Tuesday, Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy confirmed that 228,695 cases were registered this year, compared to 234,158 in 2024. He emphasised that both Maoist and terror activities remain fully under control, noted by the surrender of 509 Maoists during the year.

The state showcased remarkable progress in tackling cybercrime, which saw a 3 per cent reduction a significant feat considering the 41 per cent increase recorded at the national level. Financial losses from these crimes also dropped by 21 per cent. Furthermore, violent crimes against individuals saw a sharp downward trend: kidnapping and abduction cases fell by 25 per cent (from 1,525 to 1,145), while rape cases declined by over 13 per cent (from 2,945 to 2,549).

The DGP attributed these improvements to sustained policing, technology-driven investigations, and the active functioning of ‘She Teams’. Cases involving dowry harassment dropped by 2 per cent, and registrations under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act fell by 9.5 per cent. In a major win for child welfare, police rescued 12,396 children under ‘Operation Smile’ and ‘Operation Muskaan’, securing Telangana the first place nationally in these initiatives.

On the roads, while the accident rate increased by 5.68 per cent, fatalities saw a significant reduction of 7.9 per cent, with 6,499 lives lost compared to higher figures in the previous year. To ensure swifter justice, the department registered 1,251 ‘Zero FIRs’ across the state.

The year also saw significant infrastructure expansion, including the establishment of the new HYDRAA Police Station and the upgrading of CCS Rajendranagar and CCS Medchal Zone to full-fledged stations.