Police personnel speaking during an information session organized for students on cyber fraud and crimes against women at Sri Vidya Educational Institutions in Chittoor on Saturday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
Chittoor Police on Saturday organized an awareness session on cyber crime, crimes against women, drug abuse and road safety as part of sensitization of students of various educational institutions at Sri Vidya Educational Institutions campus.
Municipal Inspector (Law and Order) M. Maheswara and Circle Inspector (Crime) P. Umamaheswara Rao addressed the students and faculty and highlighted the emerging social and cyber threats and the importance of responsible behavior among the youth.
The inspector urged students to stay away from intoxicants, warning that drug abuse can destroy careers, families and futures. He emphasized the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and maintain clear personal goals to contribute positively to society. Citing the rise in cyber crimes, he advised students to use social media cautiously and avoid clicking on unknown links or responding to suspicious messages.
He also briefed the students on women safety initiatives, especially the mobile app ‘Shakti’ which enables women to seek immediate police help during emergencies and urged the students to download the app. He also emphasized road safety standards with an emphasis on wearing helmets and seat belts.
Mr. Umamahaswara Rao briefed the gathering about cyber frauds, especially the emerging scam of ‘digital arrest’. He explained that fraudsters impersonate cyber police officials and threaten victims through phone calls or video calls, falsely claiming to take legal action to extort money. Police never make arrests digitally and urged students not to panic if they receive such calls, the inspector clarified.
“Victims of cyber fraud should immediately report incidents to the National Cybercrime Hotline 1930 and avoid sharing personal or banking details on social media platforms,” he said.
Published – 13 Dec 2025 19:20 IST
