As many as 198 persons, including 31 minors, were apprehended by the Malkajgiri SHE Teams for harassing women and girls during September, with complaints ranging from stalking and physical harassment to online blackmail and threats to circulate private photographs.
The SHE Teams received 215 complaints during the month, of which 88 involved direct or physical harassment, 68 concerned harassment through social media platforms and 59 related to harassment over phone calls.
According to the Malkajgiri police, 16 criminal cases and 66 petty cases were registered, while counselling was provided in 133 instances. Among those apprehended were 167 adults and 31 minors.
Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi said the police would take stringent action against those harassing women and urged victims to report such incidents without fear.
The Commissioner said SHE Teams were conducting decoy operations in plain clothes at bus stands, railway stations, metro stations, educational institutions, markets and other public places to identify offenders and gather evidence.
Among the cases handled during the month was that of a married woman who approached the SHE Team after a man she had known before her marriage allegedly threatened to circulate her personal photographs and videos on social media.
The accused had re-established contact with her and subsequently began threatening her. He also reportedly visited her residence repeatedly, leaving her distressed and concerned about the impact on her marital life. The police registered a criminal case following her complaint.
In another case, a minor girl was harassed by a man she had befriended on Instagram. After exchanging messages, phone calls and photographs, the accused allegedly demanded nude photographs from her and asked her to travel to Secunderabad. The SHE Team intervened, and the accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Another minor girl was allegedly blackmailed by a man she had met through mutual friends at a coffee shop in Jubilee Hills. The accused reportedly took her to another coffee shop on the pretext of celebrating his birthday, forcibly kissed her and recorded photographs and videos without her consent.
He subsequently threatened to share the footage with her parents. Although the harassment temporarily stopped after the girl’s mother approached his family, he allegedly resumed stalking her, making repeated calls and posting her photographs on Instagram. The accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Decoy operations and awareness drives
During September, the Malkajgiri SHE Teams conducted 192 awareness programmes, reaching approximately 33,118 people with information on women’s rights, relevant laws and safety precautions.
In separate decoy operations on Hyderabad Metro trains, eight men were found travelling in women-only compartments and were fined through metro station authorities.
The police also conducted counselling sessions for offenders at the Commissioner’s Camp Office in LB Nagar, in the presence of their family members and professional counsellors.
The Commissioner appealed to women facing harassment to contact the Malkajgiri SHE Teams through WhatsApp on 8712662111 and assured them that complaints would be acted upon.
Published - October 09, 2026 06:59 pm IST