Kochi, April 18 (PTI) Two individuals associated with the Malayalam film industry were arrested on Friday in connection with an online financial fraud case involving the swindling of Rs 46 lakh from a Kochi resident, police said.

The arrested have been identified as Sreedev (35), an associate director from Ernakulam, and Mohammed Rafi (37), a costume designer from Kannur, according to the police.

Both were taken into custody following a detailed investigation led by the cyber cell and a special police team.

According to police, the fraud took place between January and February this year.

The victim, a resident of Mattancherry, received a suspicious link via WhatsApp from the accused. Upon clicking the link, he was lured into investing money under the pretext of rating buildings online, with promises of high returns.

Over time, he was tricked into transferring a total of Rs 46 lakh in multiple installments, police said.

Realising he had been duped, the victim contacted the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal through the emergency helpline number 1930 and later filed a complaint with the Mattancherry Police.

The case was investigated under the supervision of Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya.

A special investigation team, headed by Assistant Commissioner Umesh Goyal and Inspector Shibin K A, was formed.

Using cyber tracking and mobile phone location data, the police traced and apprehended the duo.

Investigations revealed that the money was initially transferred to Sreedev’s bank account as instructed by Rafi and was subsequently forwarded to another unidentified person, police said.

Also, police suspect the duo may be involved in other similar scams as well.

Further arrests are likely in the coming days as the investigation continues into possible links with other fraud cases. PTI ARM SSK ARM SSK ROH