Karnataka cyberfraud losses reach Rs 558 crore; Rs 1.9 crore returned

Rs 558 crore was lost to cyberfraud in Karnataka in the first seven months of 2026, but victims received Rs 1.9 crore back, home department data shows.

Investigators froze Rs 35.9 crore linked to the cases. The returned amount is about 5% of the money frozen and less than 0.4% of the total reported loss.

The cybercrime system is also operating with 320 vacant posts, including 200 positions at the cybercrime police station under the Bengaluru commissioner’s office. For Bengaluru residents reporting online financial fraud, those gaps sit alongside a recovery process in which money must be traced, frozen and then released through legal procedures.

Home minister Priyank Kharge told the legislature that the state plans to improve coordination between cybercrime units, police, banks, financial institutions and government agencies so investigators can obtain records faster. He said pending and long-running cases would be reviewed, with priority given to older matters.

For context, Karnataka recorded Rs 1,841 crore in cyberfraud losses in 2024 and Rs 1,756.6 crore in 2025. Across 2024, 2025 and January-July 2026, official figures put total losses at Rs 3,932 crore and the amount returned at about Rs 262 crore.