Kochi: Police have launched an investigation after a retired central government employee from Vengola in Ernakulam district was duped of Rs 1.2 crore in a ‘virtual arrest’ cyber fraud.
The ‘virtual arrest’ scam typically involves cyber criminals impersonating police officers, contacting victims online, and falsely claiming that they have been booked for a crime. Victims are then threatened with immediate arrest unless they comply with the fraudsters’ demands.
According to officials, the case was registered at the Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police Station on August 22. The 74-year-old victim had earlier received a WhatsApp call on August 15 from a man identifying himself as Praveen, an officer with the Greater Mumbai Police.
Later, during a WhatsApp video call, the impostor claimed that the police had foiled a smuggling attempt and that a consignment carrying banned goods had been registered in the victim’s name using his identification. He then threatened the victim with ‘virtual arrest’ unless he could prove his innocence.
“The victim was told that his bank accounts needed to be verified as part of the investigation and that his money would be returned once the verification was complete. Following the instructions, he transferred Rs 40 lakh each in three transactions to two bank accounts in Mumbai on August 18,” a police officer said.
When the funds were not returned as promised, the victim approached the police. A case was registered, and investigators managed to freeze around Rs 35 lakh from the bank accounts to which the money was transferred. However, the rest of the funds had already been withdrawn.
The accounts were traced to bogus companies, and efforts are underway to recover the remaining amount and identify those behind the fraud, police said.
Cybercrime has emerged as a major concern in Kerala. According to state police records, cyber fraudsters siphoned off Rs 763 crore from the state in 2024 alone. Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and to immediately report incidents of cyber fraud through the cybercrime helpline (1930). Police are also conducting awareness campaigns to prevent such scams.
With PTI inputs