KANNUR: In a major breakthrough, the Kannur City cyber crime investigation team nabbed two Chennai natives accused of being involved in an online scam that swindled a Mattanur-based doctor out of a staggering Rs 4.43 crore. The elaborate fraud unfolded over WhatsApp, with the victim being lured with promises of high returns through online share trading.
The accused, identified as Mahabubash Farooq, 39, and Rijas, 41, both hailing from Sayed Sadiq Nagar, Mangadu, Chennai, were tracked down and arrested by the team. The two accused are agents who sold bank accounts to cyber fraudsters.
They were tracked down following an investigation that focused on account numbers, phone calls and IMEI numbers. The accused was taken into custody from Chennai.
An officer with the Kannur cybercrime police station said, “The two accused acted as agents who sold accounts to cyber cheaters. The swindled money was routed through these accounts. Typically, these agents befriend individuals and convince them to open bank accounts in their name, which the agents later purchase by offering a small payment without transferring the ownership and other personal details.
Usually, these agents target people who don’t have much idea about cyber fraud. In this case, a bank account sold by these agents received around Rs 40 lakh of the doctor’s money. We were able to track them using bank details and phone details.”