Success of single-day Operation Cy-Hunt

263 people were arrested in a single day in Operation 'Cy-Hunt', which was conducted across the state by coordinating various sections of the police to prevent cyber fraud. This move by the police also revealed how widespread cyber fraud gangs are operating in the state. All those arrested were those who rented accounts to transfer money obtained through online fraud. This means that only the small fish were caught, and the sharks are still outside the legal net. However, an investigation focused on those arrested will likely lead to the main links.

There have already been reports that many people in the state are misusing bank accounts for cyber fraud by taking up to 10 percent commission. Their role is similar to that of middlemen smuggling gold. Even when the middlemen are caught, the people who sent the gold and those who ultimately receive it remain unseen. For various reasons, investigations do not reach even one percent of such people. The police should continue to investigate and take action with increased vigor to prevent such a dire situation from arising in the case of cyber fraud. Because this is the biggest scam of modern times, using cunning and cyber prowess to drain the entire bank savings of many people without breaking a sweat.

As part of Operation 'Cy-Hunt', the police have registered 382 cases across the state. Notices have been issued to 125 suspected accused. The highest number of cases were registered in Kozhikode district. 67 cases were registered in Kozhikode city and rural and 35 people were arrested. ADGP S Sreejith clarified in a press conference that 34.8 percent of the total fraud detected was related to online trading. 2683 people who withdrew money using suspicious checks, 361 who withdrew money through ATMs and about 500 people who rented out accounts, in addition to those who were not arrested, are under police surveillance.

As many as 382 cases have been registered by the police across the state as part of Operation 'Cy-Hunt'. Notices have been issued to 125 suspected accused. The highest number of cases were registered in Kozhikode district. 67 cases were registered in Kozhikode city and rural and 35 people were arrested. ADGP S Sreejith clarified in a press conference that 34.8 percent of the total fraud detected was related to online trading. 2683 people who withdrew money using suspicious cheques, 361 who withdrew money through ATMs and about 500 people who rented out accounts, in addition to those who were not arrested, are under police surveillance.

Many people would stop this trend of renting out accounts if they knew that the police were monitoring them. Therefore, it is necessary to repeat such raids and actions at regular intervals. Most of the masterminds of cyber fraud are based outside Kerala and in other countries. Therefore, the state police should make efforts to seek the help of national and international agencies. This time, the police did not adopt the usual method of receiving complaints from victims and searching for the accused. Instead, they reached the accused through information available from the National Cyber ​​Crime Portal. The transactions were identified by examining the social media accounts of the accused. Operation 'Cy-Hunt' should not come to an abrupt end, as cyber fraud is becoming one of the major challenges facing Kerala.