The Kannur City Cyber police have arrested a 28-year-old man from Punjab in connection with a ‘digital arrest’ fraud in which a team of fraudsters posed as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and cheated a woman doctor from Thalassery of ₹10.5 lakh.
The accused, identified as Jeevan Ram, a native of Ludhiana district in Punjab, was arrested from a remote village following a high-risk operation by the cyber police team. The police said the arrest came after a five-day pursuit under harsh weather and challenging conditions, as the accused frequently changed location to evade detection.
The incident occurred on November 30, 2025, when the fraudsters contacted the doctor through a Whatapp video call, impersonating as Mumbai-based CBI officers. They threatened her with a fabricated money-laundering case and claimed she was under ‘digital arrest’. The victim was coerced into transferring ₹10.5 lakh to multiple bank accounts.
Investigators found that the defrauded amount was later withdrawn by Jeevan Ram using cheques from the linked bank accounts.
The arrest was carried out by a team led by sub-inspector Prajeesh T.P. of Kannur City Cyber police station, acting on the directive of City Police Commissioner P. Nidhinraj. The police said further investigation was under way to identify other members of the racket and trace additional financial links.
Published – January 19, 2026 05:21 pm IST
