Graph theory serves as an engaging arena for the investigation of proof methods within the field of discrete mathematics, and its findings find practical utility in numerous scientific domains. Chemical graph theory is a specialized branch of mathematics that uses graphs to represent and analyze the structure and properties of chemical compounds. Topological indices are mathematical properties of graphs that play a crucial role in chemistry. They provide a unique way to connect the structural characteristics of chemical compounds to their corresponding molecular graphs. The flabellum graph Fn(k,j) is obtained with the help of k≥2 duplicates of the cycle graph Cn with a common vertex (known as, central vertex). Then, in j of these duplicates, additional edges are added, joining the central vertex to all non-adjacent vertices. In this article, we compute different degree-based topological indices for flabellum graphs, including some well known indices, such as the Randić index, the atom bond connectivity index, the geometric–arithmetic index, and the Zagreb indices. This research provides an in-depth examination of these specific indices within the context of flabellum graphs. Moreover, the behavior of these indices is shown graphically, in terms of the parameters j,k, and n. Additionally, we have extended the concept of the first Zagreb index, to address the issue of cybercrime. This application enables us to identify criminals who exhibit higher levels of activity and engagement in multiple criminal activities when compared to their counterparts. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of the first Zagreb index against the closeness centrality measure. This analysis sheds light on the effectiveness and relevance of the topological index in the context of cybercrime detection and network analysis.