Thiruvananthapuram City police launch probe into cybercrime

The City Cyber police have launched an investigation into a case where an online scam led to a city resident being defrauded of ₹1.84 crore. The victim was reportedly tricked by scammers who posed as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and falsely claimed that he was involved in a money laundering case.

According to the police, the fraudsters coerced the complainant into transferring large sums of money in multiple instalments to different bank accounts between January 14 and February 12.

The scammers initially contacted the victim, asserting that he was implicated in the case. Later, another person, pretending to be a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer, conducted a video call with the victim and placed him under “virtual arrest.”

Following instructions from the fraudsters, the victim shared his personal details, including a copy of his bank account passbook, which ultimately led to him being persuaded to send the huge sum.

The police have registered a case under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.