As cyber scams surge, Kollam city cybercrime police have arrested 17 individuals involved in digital financial fraud in 2024. Officers reported that victims from the district collectively lost over Rs3.5 crore to various online scams.
The police operation, led by Inspector Smithesh KV and supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police Jose R., recently apprehended a couple from Odisha accused of extorting Rs2 crore from a Kollam resident engaged in stock trading. The suspects, identified as Lisa alias Nagavenkata Sojanya Kurapathy, 34, and Harry alias Harish Kurapathy, 47, hail from Andhra Pradesh.
In November 2023, the victim received a WhatsApp link to an online trading course from a prominent US-based investment firm, followed by access to a fraudulent portal for opening a Demat account. Trusting the accused, he was instructed to invest through WhatsApp. When the investment surpassed ₹6 crore, the victim attempted to withdraw funds but was blocked, leading him to contact cybercrime police after being asked for a tax payment. During the investigation, five individuals from Kozhikode and three from Wayanad were also implicated and arrested.
In another case, a 44-year-old from Thrissur, named Vikas, was arrested after a complainant lost ₹32 lakh. Two other individuals from the same district reported losses of Rs43 lakh and Rs57 lakh in similar scams. Additionally, Mohammad Sahil, 27, from Kaladi, was arrested for deceiving a woman seeking a part-time job online.
As part of their investigation, the Kollam city cybercrime police have frozen bank accounts of individuals across various locations in India, including Kerala. They discovered some individuals were profiting from selling their accounts, warning that such account holders could face legal repercussions.