Daijiworld Media Network – Kollam

Kollam, Sep 1: In a bizarre incident, a cyber fraudster attempted to cheat police officers in Kerala’s Kollam district by impersonating District Police Chief Vishu Pratheep TK on WhatsApp and demanding money.

According to officials, several personnel in Kollam Rural Police received WhatsApp messages from a number carrying the officer’s photo in uniform. The impersonator sought Rs 40,000, citing an “urgent requirement.” Alert officers, however, quickly sensed foul play and escalated the matter to senior officials.

Police confirmed that no money was lost in the attempt. A case has been registered at the Kollam Cyber Police Station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused directed the money to an account in New Delhi. Efforts are on to trace the account holder and verify possible links with other cyber frauds.

Similar scams have been reported across Kerala in recent years, with fraudsters posing as senior police officials, bureaucrats, politicians, and even business leaders. In separate incidents, finance officers of two companies in the state were cheated after receiving fake messages from impostors posing as their managing directors.