A pharmaceutical firm in Kochi lost ₹99 crore due to an alleged impersonation scam

A Kochi-based pharmaceutical company was allegedly duped of ₹99 crore by an unidentified fraudster who posed as the company’s CEO on WhatsApp.

The Kochi Cyber ​​City Police is registering a case in connection with the incident based on a complaint. The alleged incident occurred on October 16.

According to the FIR, the accused hacked a mobile phone used by the company’s accounts department and managed to save the CEO’s phone number using the WhatsApp screen image he used.

The fraudster then allegedly communicated with staff in the accounting department, posing as the CEO, and convinced the employee to transfer the amount to another account. A case was registered under the relevant sections of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act.

Published – 22 Oct 2026 01:19 IST