The South Cyber Police have arrested Mohammad Abubakar from Kerala in connection with a cyber fraud case involving Rs3.98 crore. The accused, who operated a cyber fraud racket from Dubai, targeted a senior citizen in South Mumbai through WhatsApp, falsely identifying himself as a customs officer.
Abubakar accused the 72-year-old complainant of being involved in a money laundering case and coerced him into depositing money into various accounts, threatening legal action if he failed to comply. Police officials revealed that Abubakar had been running this operation from Dubai for over five years. He is originally from Kozhikode, Kerala, and had returned to India to celebrate Bakri Eid when he was apprehended.
During the arrest, police seized a notebook containing bank account records and two mobile phones from Abubakar. The elderly complainant, residing in the CP Tank area, lodged a complaint against “unknown persons” last month. He reported receiving a call from someone named “Naresh,” posing as a customs officer, who threatened him with legal repercussions unless he paid up.
Investigations revealed that not only was Abubakar involved, but also an associate in Dubai who conducted a video call interrogation with the victim, making the scam appear credible. The complainant was frightened and transferred Rs3.98 crore between April 26 and May 8.
Following the registration of the case, police traced the bank accounts to which the money was sent. Anup Kumar Kurikotal, 45, another suspect from Kannur, Kerala, was arrested on June 20 while investigators checked the accounts. Kurikotal’s role was to open bank accounts in the names of individuals from Mumbai and Kerala to facilitate the transfers. He would then withdraw the money and send it to Dubai through hawala. He had created 42 such accounts, all funded through cyber fraud.
