Two men were arrested for allegedly cheating a woman in Kochi out of ₹4.12 crore in a ‘digital arrest‘ cyber scam, the police said on Sunday. The accused, Mohammed Muhasil (22) and Mishab K P (21), both from Areekode in Malappuram district, posed as Delhi Police officers to carry out the fraud.
The scammers contacted the woman, claiming that a fake bank account had been opened using her Aadhaar card. They falsely told her she had been “digitally arrested” and scared her into transferring ₹4.12 crore to a bank account they provided. They claimed this was needed to check whether the money had been obtained illegally.
The case was initially registered at the Thrikkakara police station but was later transferred to the Cyber Assistant Commissioner, Murali MK, following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya. A special investigation team was formed to track down the suspects.
Investigators found that much of the stolen money was being withdrawn in Malappuram. The accused used several bank accounts belonging to different people to make the withdrawals, making it harder to trace the money.
By examining call records and withdrawal locations, Kochi cyber police identified the suspects. It was revealed that they had used the stolen money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Police believe this scam is part of a larger fraud network operating across the country. An ongoing investigation is working to identify and arrest others involved.