Social media crimes, including hate messages, threats, up 21% in Bengaluru: Report
Bengaluru: Crimes on social media, including sending hate messages, issuing threats, and spreading content that disturbs communal harmony, are on the rise in Bengaluru, according to recent data.
In the first nine months of 2025 alone, police registered 953 cases — a 21% rise from 2024 and a 51% increase over 2023, according to data cited by Deccan Herald on Monday.
In response to the growing threat, police have taken down over 300 such posts and blocked more than 50 social media accounts this year.
Senior police officials said the department is closely monitoring social media posts that could harm social order and is registering cases to curb such behaviour.
“Our officials keep a close watch and even register suo motu cases against people who post content that could disturb the society. Immediate action is also taken against derogatory posts and posts that disturb communal harmony,” DH quoted M.A. Saleem, Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP), as saying.
Officials raised concern over the growing number of young victims. A senior officer said many youngsters feel pressured to perform on social media, often interacting with strangers, which sometimes leads to fraud or exploitation. "Young people want to get more likes, more followers and in the process interact with unknown people and get conned,” the officer said, urging youth to be more cautious online.
The misuse of photos, especially those shared by young women, was also flagged as a growing problem. In several cases, such images have been exploited, leading to blackmail, with victims being forced to pay money to have the content removed from the internet.
Despite the increasing number of such crimes, investigating them remains a major challenge for the police. Officials said collecting strong evidence and tracking anonymous accounts is often difficult.
Adding to the problem, many social media platforms are slow to respond to police requests. “Most of the handles are anonymous. Then we will have to get in touch with the social media platforms and service providers. These companies are not very responsive and this delays the whole process,” DH quoted a senior officer as saying.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
