The Ernakulam city cyber police have arrested three youths for allegedly duping a Kochi-based doctor of ₹37 lakh in yet another incident of online stock trade scam.
The arrested are Sooraj Krishna, 22, of Aroor, Alappuzha, Adhil K.P, 22, and Muhammed Faizal, 25, both from Valanchery in Malappuram, the police said in a statement on Monday (February 2, 2026). The police said the youths were acting as part of a Cambodia-based cyber fraud gang run by Chinese nationals.
Krishna allegedly befriended the young doctor through a matrimonial site, where he posed as an NRI woman looking for marriage proposals. The complainant lost money after Krishna reportedly convinced him to invest in a trading app promising higher returns. He approached the police after realising that he had been cheated. Adhil and Faizal allegedly withdrew the money.
The police said that several youths from Kerala who went to countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia were trafficked to Cambodia by road. “Once in Cambodia, the youths are provided with work permits and, in turn, coerced into cybercrime networks. It has been found that those who refused to obey the gangs were tortured,” the police added.
Published – February 02, 2026 07:49 pm IST
