Hyderabad: In a major push to strengthen women's and children's safety, Cyberabad Police have brought four specialised units, SHE Teams, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Bharosa Centre and Centre for Development and Empowerment of Women (CDEW) under one roof at a newly established facility in Gachibowli.
Telangana DGP CV Anand and Serlingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi inaugurated the facility on Tuesday. Raheja Group constructed and handed over the facility at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Speaking at the inauguration, Anand said Bharosa Centres were a unique initiative aimed at strengthening women's safety by providing comprehensive support to victims of sexual assault and other crimes under one roof.
He said the initiative was launched in Telangana around 10 years ago to ensure that women and children receive counselling, medical assistance and legal support in a safe and supportive environment. The centres have trained counsellors who help victims overcome trauma and feel comfortable sharing their experiences. In Hyderabad, a child-friendly court is also located within the Bharosa building, helping victims receive support throughout the legal process.
The four units housed in the new building have distinct responsibilities. SHE Teams deal with eve-teasing and harassment of women, while the AHTU focuses on rescuing women and children from organised exploitation. Bharosa provides comprehensive support to victims of abuse and sexual assault, while CDEW addresses matrimonial conflicts through professional counselling.
Recalling the women's safety initiatives introduced during his tenure as Cyberabad Commissioner between 2013 and 2016, Anand said two major rape cases occurred within two months, prompting the police to approach the Cyberabad Security Council for stronger safety measures. In one incident, a woman IT employee was allegedly gang-raped by two taxi drivers. The case was named the Abhaya case.
Following discussions with the council, several initiatives, including the installation of CCTV cameras, SHE Shuttles and SHE Teams, were introduced with corporate sector support.
Meanwhile, Cyberabad Commissioner of Police M Ramesh said initiatives such as SHE Teams and SHE Shuttles originated in Cyberabad and had continued without interruption, subsequently expanding across Telangana.
Ramesh said the Telangana government and police had undertaken several women's safety initiatives involving an expenditure of nearly Rs 600 crore. These included the establishment of Bharosa Centres and CDEW Centres, deployment of special patrol vehicles for women's safety, installation of CCTV cameras and the introduction of the T-Safe application.
Explaining the T-Safe initiative, he said it enables police to track the movements of women travelling at any time, including during late-night hours, and provide assistance in emergencies.
Ramesh said police measures to curb crime had contributed to an improvement in Telangana's conviction rate from 22 per cent to 42 per cent. Courts were awarding sentences ranging from 20 to 30 years of imprisonment, including life imprisonment, in several cases.