Kerala Police and Banks Join Forces to Counter Rising Cyber Fraud
The Kerala Police have announced a joint action plan with public and private sector banks to combat cyber financial frauds in the state. State Police Chief (SPC) Ravada A. Chandrasekhar chaired a coordination meeting on Tuesday at the police headquarters, attended by officials from the State Cyber Division and representatives of various banks.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Chandrasekhar said a Joint Cyber Committee will be formed, comprising members from both the police and banks. This committee will monitor cybercrimes, examine complaints, and facilitate coordinated follow-up actions to improve the speed and efficiency of investigations.
The new coordination mechanism aims to enable a faster response to emerging cyber threats, including sophisticated scams such as 'digital arrest' frauds. The State Cyber Division will implement all measures in line with the guidelines of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Efforts are also underway to strengthen bank account analysis, digital evidence collection, and joint investigations with banks and other agencies. A dedicated 24-hour call centre has been operationalised to improve response times to cyber crime complaints.
Under 'Operation Cy-Hunt', the State Cyber Division has already launched special investigations and coordinated enforcement drives across districts to identify and arrest those involved in cyber-enabled financial offences. The Kerala Police have blocked transactions worth nearly ₹78 crore lost in cyber frauds, with about 5 per cent of that amount restored to original accounts.
Cyber investigators have intensified efforts to identify mule accounts—bank accounts used to receive and transfer fraudulently obtained money. A state-wide assessment identified Ernakulam and Malappuram as hotspots for such accounts. Senior police officers including ADGP (Law and Order) P. Vijayan, State Crime Records Bureau IG P. Prakash, AIG (Police Headquarters) Jaidev G., and Cyber Operations SP Ankit Ashokan participated in the meeting.
