Andhra Pradesh Police to launch statewide crackdown against organised, repeat cyber offenders in online spaces

Andhra Pradesh state DGP Harish Kumar Gupta directed the senior police officials across the state to launch an intensive and intelligence-driven crackdown against derogatory and targeted social media activity.

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh police are gearing up to launch a statewide comprehensive crackdown through what they called a 'cyber sweep and deep intelligence-mapping exercise' to identify abusive and unlawful handles/persons operating within or targeting Andhra Pradesh in online spaces.

Andhra Pradesh state DGP Harish Kumar Gupta in a high level review meeting on Friday directed the senior police officials across the state to launch an intensive, coordinated and intelligence-driven crackdown against the alarming rise of abusive, inflammatory, derogatory and targeted social media activity directed against Constitutional Functionaries, public representatives, public institutions, government authorities and the overall governance framework.

Cyber Crime Police Stations, Cyber Cells, Special Branch units, District Crime Teams, technical surveillance teams and SHO-level intelligence networks have been activated across the state for continuous monitoring, profiling and actionable intelligence generation.

This enforcement exercise will not remain symbolic, isolated or selective in nature. Sources in the Andhra Pradesh police pointed out that what is being undertaken is a statewide, synchronised and intelligence-based enforcement operation aimed at dismantling organised abusive digital ecosystems and re-establishing the rule of law in online spaces.

Simultaneous action across all districts and commissionerates will be undertaken to create visible deterrence and send a clear message that organised digital lawlessness will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The DGP has strongly warned that any person operating under the mistaken belief that anonymity on social media platforms provides protection from identification or legal consequences is living under a dangerous misconception.

The Andhra Pradesh Police has observed rapidly escalating misuse of digital platforms by certain organised elements who are indulging in systematic online abuse, criminal intimidation, circulation of morphed and fabricated material, coordinated propaganda campaigns, dissemination of false and provocative content, communal incitement, character assassination, digital harassment and deliberate attempts to create disorder, mistrust and institutional destabilisation.

The DGP has categorically said that these activities cannot and will not be treated as ordinary social media misconduct or routine online indiscipline. Such actions constitute serious violations affecting public order, institutional integrity, democratic governance, cyber security and overall law and order environment. The Andhra Pradesh Police views these developments as a grave emerging threat requiring immediate, decisive and sustained intervention.

The DGP has observed that several such abusive ecosystems appear to be functioning in a highly organised and coordinated manner through anonymous handles, proxy accounts, troll groups, repeat digital offenders and networks operating with deliberate intent to spread hatred, provoke social tensions, intimidate public authorities and weaken public confidence in institutions. Preliminary intelligence analysis also indicated that in many cases these activities are linked to habitual offenders, communal provocateurs, organised cyber offenders, rowdy elements, extortion-linked networks, persons with criminal antecedents and repeat law-and-order offenders.

The DGP has specifically instructed that all identified handles/persons shall be scientifically verified and matched against existing criminal intelligence systems including rowdy sheets, suspect sheets, history sheets, communal offender records, organised offender databases, jail release records, bind-over proceedings, preventive action databases, cyber crime records and interstate criminal intelligence inputs. Wherever legally permissible, digital forensic examination relating to device signatures, repeat IP patterns, SIM linkage analysis, financial linkage analysis, coordinated account behaviour and organised digital propagation networks shall also be undertaken.

The Andhra Pradesh Police has made it unequivocally clear that persons indulging in such unlawful and organised digital activity will face the full force and uncompromising application of law. Strict criminal action shall be initiated under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Information Technology Act and other applicable laws relating to criminal intimidation, spreading false information, cyber harassment, intentional insult, hate speech, obscenity, provocation, promoting enmity, public mischief, defamation and acts prejudicial to maintenance of public order and communal harmony.

The DGP has further directed that all lawful cyber-investigation mechanisms including notices, summons, preservation of digital evidence, account tracing, takedown procedures, intermediary coordination and other legally sustainable investigative processes shall be initiated immediately in all fit cases. Habitual offenders and organised digital propagandists shall be dealt with through stringent preventive and deterrent legal measures strictly in accordance with law.