The Ernakulam Rural police have unearthed financial frauds to the tune of at least ₹22 crore in a series of raids conducted as part of ‘Operation Cy-Hunt’, a Statewide crackdown on cyber financial fraudsters.
The rural police have nabbed 43 people, the highest number of arrests recorded as part of the drive, in raids conducted at 103 locations. In multiple cases, the police zeroed in on the suspects by tracking unusual cheque transactions.
Most of those arrested are mule account holders who had reportedly rented out their bank accounts to suspected fraudsters for transferring the proceeds of crimes committed in various parts of the country, according to the police. The police have identified over 200 mule accounts within the rural limits as part of the operation.
Under the rural limits, the highest number of arrests, eight each, were reported from Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha. Four persons each were arrested in Aluva, Edathala, and Perumbavoor.
Most of those arrested are youths, including students in their early twenties, indicating an alarming trend of youngsters falling prey to cyber fraud networks. Of the seven persons arrested by the Kothamangalam police, six are below 25 years of age, while the seventh is 32.
“The accused were arrested in separate incidents, though their modus operandi was almost the same. They were identified by tracing suspicious transactions through their bank accounts. They had received large sums from various accounts and withdrawn the money using cheques. The withdrawn amount was then handed over to others involved in the crime cycle. Investigation is under way to trace those who received money from them,” said Kothamangalam Inspector Bejoy P.T.
He added that the accused used to receive commissions for transactions carried out through their accounts. The commissions ranged from ₹1,000 per ₹1 lakh to as high as ₹20,000 per transaction. The police have identified mule accounts that received between ₹60 lakh and ₹80 lakh through multiple transactions. “One of the rented accounts had received ₹30 lakh in a single transaction,” the officer said.
Those arrested by the Muvattupuzha police were involved in similar offences in separate, unrelated incidents. “The accused were lured by scammers who claimed they needed additional bank accounts to transfer large sums of money and evade taxes,” said Muvattupuzha Inspector Basil Thomas.
The Perumbavoor police have arrested two youths, aged 25 and 24, as part of the Cy-Hunt. In one case, an accused had received ₹1,70,000 from the account of a native of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, while in the other, the account of the accused was used to cheat a Kozhikode native of ₹3,40,000.
Meanwhile, the Kalady police arrested a 40-year-old man whose bank account had reportedly received ₹76,38,601 from various accounts through 24 transactions. The amount was withdrawn using cheques and other means.
The suspects were traced using a list prepared by the police at the State level after a months-long exercise. The Kochi City police arrested eight persons in six cases registered as part of the drive.
Published – November 01, 2025 08:50 pm IST
