In a major statewide operation against online financial fraud, the Kerala Police arrested 263 people and registered 382 cases across the state on Thursday. The large-scale drive, named Operation Cy Hunt, was one of the biggest single-day crackdowns on cybercrime in the state. A total of 714 raids were carried out, and 88 electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of the Cyber Operations Wing, Range DIGs, and District Police Chiefs. It followed three months of investigation and preparation. The cyber wing had gathered information from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal about 3,709 suspects involved in online fraud. Among them were 2,683 individuals suspected of withdrawing illegally obtained money using cheques and 361 who did so through ATMs. Police also traced 665 mule accounts, or rented accounts used by fraudsters to move funds. All suspects were identified after detailed verification.
ADGP (Intelligence) S Sreejith said, “Though it was conducted as a one-day special drive, the operation had been in the works for three months, with the participation of police officials across the state.” He added that all arrested individuals were mule account holders. “Another 125 people who were found to have no direct involvement in the offences were served notices and released,” he said. “The victims reportedly lost around ₹300 crore, but the actual figure could be higher. It is too early to comment on the amount that can be recovered.”
Ernakulam Rural police reported the highest number of arrests with 43, while a total of 46 suspects were arrested in Ernakulam district. Of the 25 cases registered in the district, 23 were filed by the rural police. Within the rural limits, Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha recorded the most arrests with eight each.
Rural District Police Chief M Hemalatha, who led the drive, warned, “Renting out, selling, or allowing others to use your bank account can make you complicit in major cyber crimes. People must remain vigilant.”
ADGP Sreejith praised the police for keeping the operation completely confidential. “There is a saying that cops cannot keep secrets. However, during each phase of the operation, we monitored media reports to see if any information had leaked. Not a single detail did,” he said. He also urged the public to be alert to ‘easy money’ schemes.
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