In a meticulously executed operation, the Kochi city cyber police busted a Cambodia-based cyber fraud racket, revealing that all the accused international operatives were natives of Kerala. The breakthrough followed an intensive investigation into a complaint filed by a young doctor from Hyderabad, employed at a leading private hospital in Kochi, who was allegedly cheated of Rs 37 lakh in a carefully orchestrated matrimonialscam.
The fraud was carried out after a marriage proposal was sent to the doctor through a matrimonial website, with the accused posing as an NRI woman to gain his trust. The accused were identified as Sooraj Krishna (22) of Aroor in Alappuzha, who allegedly operated the scam from abroad under the direction of Chinese nationals, with the syndicate headquartered in Cambodia, and Adil KP (22) and Mohammed Faisal (25), both residents of Valanchery in Malappuram district, who allegedly facilitated the crime by withdrawing the defrauded money through their bank accounts, said a top source with Kochi city police.
Acting swiftly on the complaint, the city cyber crime unit, led by assistant commissioner Zulfikker S. and Inspector Shemeer Khan P.A, launched a detailed investigation. The probe revealed that the fraud was orchestrated by a Cambodia-based syndicate, and investigators were able to precisely identify the Malayali operative who had contacted the doctor from Cambodia while impersonating a woman.
However, tracing and arresting those operating from Cambodia posed significant challenges. After collecting and analysing the suspect’s digital footprints, the police executed a well-planned operation and waited for the accused’s arrival in India.
Acting on the directions of city police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, a special team was formed comprising inspector Shemeer Khan, assistant sub-inspector Ramesh.S, senior civil police officers Ajith Raj, Arun.R, Aneesh,and civil police officer Najeeb. “Once the prime accused, Suraj, arrived in India, he was placed under police surveillance to track his contacts with accomplices. On the sixth day after his arrival, when he came in contact with the suspected associates, the team arrested him from Aroor around midnight on Friday, after completing all legal formalities, including applications for judicial remand,”said the officer.
Following his arrest, the other accused, Adil and Faisal, were apprehended within 24 hours from Pantheeramkavu in Kozhikode and Valanchery in Malappuram, respectively. The officer added that, while Interpol frequently raids such establishments in Cambodia and deports foreign nationals involved, identifying the exact perpetrators has often been difficult. “In this case, however, the Kerala Police successfully traced and apprehended all those responsible for the fraud,” he said, adding that digital devices, banking documents, and SIM cards used in the crime were seized from the accused.
Anatomy of the ‘Matrimonial Trap’
Sooraj (the accused) posed as an NRI woman named Priyanka (name changed), registered on a matrimonial website, and sent a request to the doctor, who was searching for a bride. The interaction gradually developed into regular chats, during which the accused gained the victim’s trust by using photographs and social media posts taken from other women’s accounts.
“To make the language of conversations appear genuine and convincing, the accused used artificial intelligence tools and frequently shared images and content belonging to others as his own. The accused later lured the victim into an alleged online trading platform, claiming that she was also investing in it as a source of secondary income and assuring him of high returns,” said an officer with the probe team.
Trusting the person he believed to be his prospective partner, the doctor initially invested small amounts and received returns, which encouraged him to invest larger sums. However, after a substantial amount was siphoned off, both the returns and the invested money disappeared, and the matrimonial profile was also found to have been deleted.
Cambodia: a hub of organised cyber frauds
The Kerala Police had earlier identified a Cambodia-based cyber mafia network, operating under the control of Chinese nationals, as being behind large-scale frauds across India, with Keralites among its operatives.“Youths from Kerala are often taken to countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia on visit visas and then transported by road to Cambodia. There, they are issued visas under the pretext of hotel or delivery jobs. Later, they are confined in shelters run by Chinese nationals and forced to engage in cyber crimes,” said a sub-inspector-ranked officer with the Kochi City Cyber Dome.
Commenting on the case and the arrests, a member of the probe team said that police had apprehended all those directly involved in the matrimonial scam targeting the young doctor. However, the investigation also revealed the presence of a large number of Keralites working within Cambodia-based cyber mafia networks.
“Interrogation of the accused revealed that these cyber fraud operations function under the guise of companies operating like ‘cottage industries’. Each such unit has specialised departments handling different types of fraud, including trading scams, digital arrest scams, loan app frauds, and matrimonial scams,”said the officer.
The officer added that the particular case falls under the matrimonial scam category, with the defrauded money being routed through mule bank accounts (rented accounts), mostly held in India, including Kerala. “Agents are employed to manage these accounts across almost all States.
In this case, Ashik acted as an agent handling a cluster of mule accounts, while Faisal was one of the mule account holders through whose account the defrauded money was transferred on a commission basis,” he said.