Kochi, Dec 1 (PTI) Two men have been arrested for allegedly defrauding a homemaker in Kochi of Rs 4.12 crore through a ‘digital arrest’ cyber scam, police said on Sunday.
The accused, Mohammed Muhasil (22) and Mishab K P (21), both from Areekode in Malappuram district, impersonated Delhi Police officers to carry out the fraud, police added.
They contacted the victim, claiming that a fraudulent bank account had been created using her Aadhaar card. The terrified homemaker was falsely informed that she had been “digitally arrested” and was instructed to transfer Rs 4.12 crore to an account provided by the scammers to “verify” whether the funds were obtained fraudulently, police said.
The case, initially registered at Thrikkakara Police Station, was later transferred to Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Murali MK, under the instructions of Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya. A special investigation team was formed to trace the culprits, police added.
Investigators discovered that a significant portion of the defrauded money was being withdrawn in Malappuram. The accused reportedly used multiple bank accounts belonging to different individuals to facilitate the withdrawals, making it difficult to trace them, police said.
Through a scientific investigation, focusing on call records and withdrawal locations, Kochi cyber police identified the accused. It was found that they used the stolen money to lead an extravagant lifestyle, police added.
The scam appears to be part of a larger fraud network operating across the country, and a probe is underway to identify and arrest other suspects involved, police said. PTI ARM SSK ARM SSK SA
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.