The Ernakulam Rural Police has unearthed financial frauds of at least ₹22 crore in a series of raids conducted as part of ‘Operation Cy-Hunt’, a nationwide crackdown on cyber financial fraudsters.
Rural police arrested 43 people, the highest number of arrests recorded in the drive, in raids carried out at 103 locations. In many cases, police have zeroed in on suspects by tracking unusual check transactions.
Most of those arrested are mule account holders who, according to the police, allegedly rented out their bank accounts to suspected fraudsters for remittance of proceeds of crimes committed in different parts of the country. Police identified over 200 mule accounts in rural areas as part of the operation.
Within the rural boundaries, 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 young people, including students in their twenties, indicating an alarming trend of young people falling prey to cyber fraud networks. Of the seven persons arrested by the Kothamangalam police, six are under the age of 25, while the seventh is 32 years old.
“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 received large sums from various accounts and withdrew the money through cheques. The withdrawn amount was then given to others involved in the crime cycle. Investigations are on to trace those who received the money from them,” InspectoryPTham said.
He added that the accused were getting kickbacks for transactions made through their accounts. Commissions ranged from ₹1,000 per ₹1 lakh to ₹20,000 per transaction. The police identified accounts of mules that received between ₹60,000 and ₹80,000 through several transactions. “One of the leased accounts received ₹30 crore in a single transaction,” the officer said.
Those arrested by the Muvattupuzha police were involved in similar offenses in separate, unrelated incidents. “The accused were lured by fraudsters who claimed they needed additional bank accounts to transfer large sums of money and avoid paying taxes,” Muvattupuzha Inspector Basil Thomas said.
Perumbavoor police arrested two youths aged 25 and 24 as part of the Cy-Hunt. In one case, the accused received ₹1,70,000 from the account of a native of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, while in the other, the account of the accused was used to cheat a native of Kozhikode of ₹3,40,000.
Meanwhile, the Kalady police arrested a 40-year-old man whose bank account allegedly received ₹76,38,601 from various accounts through 24 transactions. The amount was collected through checks and other means.
The suspects were traced using a list prepared by the state-level police after a month-long exercise. The Kochi city police arrested eight persons in six cases registered as part of the drive.
Published – 01 Nov 2025 20:50 IST
