Kozhikode’s cyber police have made a significant breakthrough, arresting a 21-year-old man from Muttancherry in connection with a major cyber fraud case initially filed in 2023.
The arrested individual, Abdul Fattah, son of Mannarath Ummer, was taken into judicial custody on Friday, September 26. A two-year-long, meticulous investigation uncovered that bank accounts registered under his name were instrumental in facilitating a vast online job scam, primarily conducted through the Telegram messaging application. These accounts were used to receive and transfer substantial amounts of illicit funds.
The case came to light when a medical professional, seeking part-time work, responded to an enticing job offer on Telegram. The victim was then added to a dedicated Telegram group, where seemingly successful transactions by other ‘members’ were showcased, building a false sense of security. Convinced by these fabricated proofs, the complainant transferred approximately ₹32 lakh in several installments. Predictably, after completing all required tasks, neither the promised returns nor the initial deposit was ever credited back.
Further investigation traced ₹4.5 lakh of the defrauded money to an account in a nationalized bank in Mumbai. Remarkably, on the very same day, a total of ₹12.5 lakh—including the amount from Mumbai—was funneled into a private bank account in Kunnamangalam through four separate transactions. A significant portion of these funds was then withdrawn via cheque, with the remainder swiftly moved to yet another account.
Under the direct guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kozhikode city) Arun K. Pavithran, a dedicated special team, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police G. Balachandran and Inspector K.K. Agesh, meticulously gathered digital evidence, leading to Fattah’s apprehension. Inspector Vinod Kumar and a five-member team of civil police officers were also integral to this successful investigation.
Authorities suspect the illegally withdrawn funds were transferred through illicit hawala networks. This isn’t Fattah’s first brush with the law; he was recently out on bail for a different cyber fraud case in Ernakulam, and police sources indicate his potential involvement in another ₹95 lakh fraud previously reported in Kozhikode. Investigations into his suspected roles in these and various other financial crimes across neighboring districts are ongoing.
Following this incident, the Cyber police have issued a strong advisory, cautioning young people against the dangerous practice of sharing personal bank accounts with third parties under the lure of quick profits or commissions. They also implore job-seekers to exercise extreme vigilance against deceptive offers and fraudulent promotional content for self-employment schemes rampant across social media platforms.