KOCHI: A youth was arrested on Monday for allegedly defrauding a senior citizen of Rs 25 lakh by promising to arrange a bank loan. Vishal, 21, a native of Nalanda, Bihar, was nabbed by a special investigation team with Thadiyittaparambu police. Vishal lured the victim, a resident of Kizhakkambalam, by claiming he could facilitate Rs 50 lakh loan from a nationalised bank, said a personnel with the squad.
The victim came into contact with the fraudster through social media. Here, the accused claimed to be able to secure a loan from a nationalised bank. “Once the money was received, the accused cut off all contact, prompting the victim to lodge a police complaint,” he said.
Detailing about the operation, Shibu, a CPO-ranked personnel with the squad, stated that a special investigation team, led by ASP Shakti Singh Arya, was formed under the supervision of district police chief M Hemalatha to investigate the case.
“Using scientific investigation techniques, we traced the accused from a remote village in Nalanda. Operating undercover for several days, we successfully apprehended him and brought him back to Kerala,” he said.
The preliminary investigation suggests that several others may have been duped in similar scams by the same group, the officer added.