72-year-old man loses ₹81 lakh in alleged cyber fraud in Kochi

The Ernakulam Town South police have launched a probe into an alleged cyber fraud in which a 72-year-old man was duped of ₹81 lakh.

The scamsters contacted the complainant, a resident of Elamkulam, via WhatsApp and convinced him to invest the amount through a bogus trading platform, promising higher returns, according to the police.

The accused paid the money in multiple transactions between November 6 and December 5, 2025 from two of his bank accounts. He moved the police on realising that he was cheated after the accused did not pay him the returns as promised or the invested amount. The case was registered on Monday under Sections 316 (2) and 318 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal breach of trust and cheating.