In yet another instance of cyber fraudsters targeting elderly people, an 81-year-old doctor in the city was duped of ₹1.3 crore by criminals impersonating as CBI officers. The Cyber Crime police, Kochi City, have registered a case and launched a probe into the incident based on a complaint filed by the victim, a resident of an apartment on Chathyath Road.
The first information report (FIR) has named Devilal Singh and Pranav Dhayal as accused along with some unknown people.
According to the FIR registered on Thursday, the accused, who claimed to be CBI officers, contacted the complainant over phone and WhatsApp at 10.30 a.m. on November 11 and 3.30 p.m. on November 6 and told him that certain criminal acts had been committed using another phone number in his name.
On November 4, the accused told the doctor that a case had been registered over the crimes and got details of his investments from him claiming that they wanted to check the sources of his income. Following this, the scammers succeeded in forcing the victim to transfer ₹1.3 crore from his bank account to another account. They also threatened to circulate his photos and other details through social media if he revealed the incident to others.
Bank freezes account
A top police officer said that of the defrauded money, around ₹1 crore has already been frozen by the bank concerned preventing further withdrawal or transaction of the amount. The money can be recovered through due procedures and legal steps, the police officer said.
The case has been registered under Section 316 (criminal breach of trust) 318 (cheating) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the IT Act which deals with cheating by impersonation using computer resources.
The incident comes close on the heels of the police arresting at least 284 people as part of Operation Cy-Hunt, a State-wide crackdown trageting those involved in organised cyber fraud crimes. Most of them were arrested for allegedly aiding to transact large amounts gained through cyber financial frauds.
Last month, the Mattanchery police had launched a probe into a fraud in which a 59-year-old woman lost ₹2.88 crore. A Maharashtra native was arrested in the case.
Published – November 06, 2025 10:02 pm IST
