Mumbai: Kerala Man Arrested for Transferring Cyber Fraud Money to Dubai-Based Perpetrator

Mumbai Police have arrested an individual in connection with channelling money earned through cyber fraud to the main accused operating from Dubai. The arrested person, identified as Anup Kumar Kurikottal (45), is a resident of Kerala and was living in a rented house in the Masjid Bunder area.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade reported that the South Cyber Police Station of the Mumbai Police's Crime Branch carried out the action. A case was registered under sections 420, 419, 467, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66A and 66D of the Information Technology Act.

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According to the police, Krishnakant Shroff (72), a resident of CP Tank, filed a complaint about a fraud involving a person posing as a FedEx courier. Between April 26 and May 8, an unknown individual named Naresh impersonated a police officer and contacted Shroff, claiming that his Aadhaar card was being used for money laundering. The accused conducted a video call on Skype, posing as a customs officer, and convinced the complainant, Krishna Kant, to transfer money into various bank accounts under the pretense of an investigation. Krishna Kant was defrauded of ₹3.98 crores.

During the investigation, the police discovered that Anup Kumar Kurikottal was involved in this crime. He had opened 40 to 42 bank accounts in the names of various people in Kerala and Mumbai and was transferring money from these accounts to the accused in Dubai.

Originally from Kerala, Kurikottal had stayed in a rented house in Masjid Bunder, Mumbai, for a month. The South Cyber Police received information that he would come to Masjid Bunder to pay the house rent to the landlord. Senior Police Inspector Nandkumar Gopale of the South Cyber Police Station stated that as soon as the accused arrived near the landlord's house, he was arrested.