KANNUR: In a breakthrough in the harassment case involving a faculty member of Kannur’s Anjarakandy Dental College, the Kannur City Cyber Crime Police have arrested the key operators of a predatory loan app allegedly linked to the suicide of first-year BDS student Nithin Raj R L, 22.
The arrests were made in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, following an investigation into the loan app ‘Instant Funds’. Those arrested have been identified as Rishikesh Thivari, 32, of Ghaziabad, Prashanth Khewai, of Uttar Pradesh, and Jayaprakash, 54, of Faridabad, Haryana. They were later brought to Kannur and remanded.
The case was registered on a complaint filed by an assistant professor who became an unintended target of harassment. The police said the student had borrowed money through the app but struggled to repay it, and had listed the teacher’s phone number as a reference.
When the repayment defaulted, the accused allegedly bombarded the teacher with repeated calls and threatening messages, warning of sustained harassment if the dues were not cleared. Multiple calls were made within short intervals, often several in an hour. Even after blocking numbers, the harassment continued through alternative numbers.
Though most of the numbers used by the suspects were later switched off, cyber investigators traced one active number that led them to Noida. Acting on the lead, the police team moved swiftly and apprehended the accused.
The Kerala police uncovered a large-scale operational setup run by the accused in Noida, functioning on the lines of an IT park. Investigators said nearly 40 employees were engaged in promoting loan apps, disbursing funds and coordinating recovery operations, with the facility serving as the central hub. A joint inspection with Noida police revealed that the accused used advanced SIM box systems instead of regular mobile phones to contact victims.
The accused have been arrested in a case registered at Chakkarakkal police station.
CLASSMATES VISIT NITHIN’S HOME
T’Puram: Over 30 students, including classmates and friends of Nithin Raj, visited his home on Saturday and talked to his family. “Nithin was ambitious and determined. We want to know what happened to him,” Nithin’s classmates told the media.
“Though bodyshaming and colourist remarks are complaints all of us have raised, caste slurs were not made in classrooms. We don’t know what happened in the staff room. We think the loan app issue is the primary reason, because of which he was called to the principal’s office and faced multiple interrogations,” they added.
