Twenty-six people were arrested from Ernakulam district as the police registered 46 cases related to cyber financial scams in a day as part of the second edition of ‘Operation Cy-Hunt’, a nationwide special drive by the police.
While the Ernakulam rural police arrested 16 alleged offenders, the Kochi city police nabbed 10 accused during a day-long drive on Friday (March 6, 2026). The city police registered 10 cases, the rural police registered 36 cases.
The operation focused on tracking people involved in online financial fraud, including those who rented out their bank accounts, known as mule accounts in cybercrime parlance, to facilitate transactions with the proceeds of those crimes, and those who withdrew fraudulent money using checks and ATM cards, police said.
Of the 16 arrested by the rural police, 13 were jailed. Police also seized gadgets allegedly used in cyber crimes.
The city police registered the cases after conducting raids in 50 places. Within the city limits, cases were registered at stations including Maradu, Elamakkara and Palarivattom. The rural police made arrests from places including Vengola, Pothanikad, Maradi and Kalloorkad.
In the cases registered, the police have uncovered transactions worth crores of rupees, which were allegedly obtained through fraudulent means.
The nationwide operation took place four months after the drive was launched in October last year. The Kochi city police then arrested eight people in six cases. The rural police arrested 43 accused during the first drive, the highest in the state, in 23 cases.
“The latest number of cases and arrests clearly show that people have been lured by cyber fraudsters. Despite repeated warnings and strict police action, people continue to offer their bank accounts for fraudulent transactions. It is a big problem,” said a city police official.
During Friday’s operation, a total of 455 cases were registered across the state and 165 people were arrested. During the earlier drive, 382 cases were registered and 263 accused were arrested.
Published – March 7, 2026 10:02 PM IST
