To Curb ‘Nefarious Conduct’, Telangana To Open History Sheets For Habitual Online Offenders

File photo of Telangana Police personnel. (PTI)

In a first-of-its-kind move in the country, the Telangana Police has decided to open “history sheets” for habitual offenders involved in social media crimes and financial fraud.

According to the police, the aim is to keep a close watch on such individuals and curb what they described as “nefarious conduct”. Until now, history sheets were generally maintained only for known criminals with a record of repeated civil or criminal offences.

As reported by The Indian Expressan official memo issued by the Cyber Crime Police on September 23 outlined the decision, which is based on earlier instructions from the Director General of Police (DGP), Jitender.

On September 5, the DGP issued a directive asking officers to closely monitor repeat offenders who misuse social media platforms or engage in online financial scams.

The memo instructed officers to begin opening suspect or history sheets against individuals described as “habitual and addicted offenders” involved in cybercrimes. This includes not only those who have been convicted but also those under investigation.

“Instructions to open suspect/history sheets on all the habitual and addicted offenders/accused persons who are involved in social media offences and financial frauds and ensure close surveillance over the activities to curb their nefarious conduct,” the memo stated.

According to the memo, these history sheets will be used to track both convicted offenders and “suspects” accused under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant clauses of the Telangana State Police Manual (TSPM).

This means individuals accused — even if not yet convicted — of misusing social media or engaging in financial fraud can now be added to the history sheet database for monitoring.