The Mumbai South Cyber Police have successfully apprehended Mohammad Abubakar, a key figure in a cyber fraud racket involving a total of Rs3.98 crore. Abubakar, originally from Kerala, was operating his fraudulent activities from Dubai and was arrested while visiting India during Bakri Eid.
Abubakar’s operation involved impersonating a customs officer over WhatsApp, where he falsely accused a 72-year-old senior citizen from South Mumbai of being involved in a money laundering case. Using threats of legal action and intimidation, the scammer coerced the victim into transferring large sums of money across different bank accounts, claiming it was necessary to clear his name and avoid arrest.
The victim, living in the CP Tank area of South Mumbai, received a message from a person claiming to be a customs officer named “Naresh.” During a video call, the scammer showed several individuals in uniform, further convincing the victim of the legitimacy of the claim. Scared of the potential consequences, the senior citizen transferred Rs3.98 crore between April 26 and May 8, as instructed by the fraudster.
Following the police complaint, the Mumbai South Cyber Police launched an investigation and quickly traced the bank accounts used to facilitate the illegal transfers. The first arrested suspect, Anup Kumar Kurikotal, was found to have opened 42 bank accounts under false identities to receive the fraudulent payments. These accounts were primarily located in Mumbai and Kerala.
Kurikotal, who had been managing the funds in Masjid Bunder, Mumbai, was arrested in June. His role in the scam was to handle the money, withdrawing it from the victim’s accounts and transferring it via hawala channels to Dubai.
During police interrogation of Kurikotal, further details were uncovered, leading to the identification of Mohammad Abubakar as the mastermind behind the scam. Abubakar was tracked down to his hometown of Kozhikode, Kerala, where he had come to celebrate Eid. After his arrest, he was transported to Mumbai and produced in court, where he was remanded to police custody until June 30.
