KOCHI: The Kerala Police arrested 263 people and registered 382 cases across the state on Thursday, in one of its biggest single-day crackdown on online financial fraud. As many as 714 raids were carried across the state and 88 electronic devices seized for analysis.
Christened ‘Operation Cy-Hunt’, the coordinated, statewide operation had been in the works for three months.
It was carried out under the supervision of the Cyber Operations Wing, Range DIGs and District Police Chiefs. The cyber wing had obtained information from the National Cyber Crime Reporting portal on 3,709 suspects involved in fraud, including 2,683 individuals suspected of withdrawing illegally obtained money using cheques, and 361 people who withdrew money through ATMs, besides 665 mule accounts – rented accounts to help fraudsters withdraw money. The accused were identified after detailed verification.
“Though it was conducted as a one-day special drive, the operation had been in the works for three months, with the participation of police officials across the state,” S Sreejith, ADGP (Intelligence), told reporters. He said all the arrested suspects were mule account holders.
“Another 125 people who were found to have no direct involvement in the offences were served notices and released,” he said. “The victims reportedly lost around `300 crore, but the actual figure could be higher. It’s too early to comment on the amount that can be recovered,” Sreejith said.
Ernakulam rural top
Ernakulam Rural police recorded 43 arrests, the most in the state. In all, 46 people were nabbed in Ernakulam district. Of the 25 cases registered in the district, 23 were registered by rural police. The city police made three arrests and registered two cases.
Within the rural police limits, Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha saw the most arrests – eight each.
“Renting out, selling, or allowing others to use your bank account can make you complicit in major cyber crimes. People must remain vigilant,” cautioned rural district police chief M Hemalatha, who led the drive here.
ADGP lauds cops, cautions public
ADGP (Intelligence) S Sreejith lauded the police force for maintaining utmost secrecy throughout every phase of the massive operation. “There’s a saying that cops can’t keep secrets. However, during each phase of the operation, we monitored media reports to see if any information had leaked. Not a single detail did,” he said. Sreejith also urged the public to be cautious of ‘easy money’ schemes.