Raids conducted in Kochi city as part of Operation Cy-Hunt, a nationwide drive against organized cyber financial fraud, have revealed an alarming trend of students falling prey to criminal networks running on mule accounts. Of the eight people arrested in six cases registered under the Kochi city police limits in the drive, three are college students who allegedly helped fraudsters in trading proceeds of cyber crime.
The trio were arrested by the Eloor police on Thursday (October 30). Those arrested are Abhishek Viju, 21, of Vadakkum Bhagam, Eloor; Hafis, 20, of Thandekkad, Vengola; and Althaf, 21, of Adivaram, Edathala. According to police, Abhishek opened a bank account and handed over its details, passbook and ATM card to Hafis, who in turn used the account to transact money obtained through alleged cyber fraud. Althaf, meanwhile, allegedly helped Hafiz collect the proceeds of crime using a cheque.
District Superintendent of Police (Kochi City) Putta Vimaladitya told the media on Friday (October 31) that the three accused were well aware of their involvement in the crime. “Hafis obtained the bank account details of at least 10 other students. The accused persuaded others to hand over the bank account details and claimed that they needed more accounts to transact with the amounts earned through online gaming as their accounts had reached transaction limits. The account details were made available by paying some reward to the students,” Mr Vimaladitya said.
Raising awareness
He said Abhishek’s bank account was found linked to cyber frauds reported in four states. The officer added that the accounts of those arrested while driving were used to collect and transfer the proceeds of crime. In the case registered by the Eloor police, the accused had withdrawn ₹6 crore in two transactions on Thursday alone, he said.
Mr Vimaladitya said the police had decided to conduct an intensive awareness drive to make students aware of the dangers of giving their bank account details to others. “Students may not be aware that their accounts are being used for organized cyber crimes. In a month, we will be conducting awareness campaigns targeting colleges,” he said.
Police arrested 284 people and registered 439 cases as part of Operation Cy-Hunt on Thursday. The Ernakulam Rural Police arrested the largest number of accused in the drive by nabbing 43 suspects.
Published – 31 Oct 2025 19:54 IST
