Police in Kerala have arrested a man at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad in connection with an alleged digital arrest scam that duped an 80-year-old doctor from Kasaragod of ₹1.19 crore. The suspect, identified as Shamsad Choorakuth, a resident of Malattur in Malappuram, was detained following the issuance of a lookout circular after investigators discovered he was working overseas. The accused and his associates allegedly targeted the elderly medical practitioner by posing as officers from the Mumbai Crime Branch and coercing him into transferring funds.
Accused Posed as Mumbai Police Officers
The alleged extortion took place between November 24 and December 17, 2025, when the victim, a resident of Nileswaram in Kasaragod, received several phone calls and WhatsApp video calls. The callers introduced themselves as personnel attached to the Mumbai Crime Branch and claimed that the doctor’s name had appeared in an ongoing money-laundering investigation. Telling the elderly victim that he had been placed under digital arrest, the scammers exerted continuous pressure on him to cooperate.
During the interactions, the callers insisted that the doctor transfer money to specified bank accounts to clear his name of the criminal charges. Under sustained pressure and fear of legal consequences, the doctor transferred a total of ₹1,19,35,000 from different bank accounts to various accounts provided by the fraudsters.
Interception at Hyderabad Airport
Following a formal complaint lodged by the victim, the Kasaragod Cyber Police registered a case and initiated a technical investigation into the financial transactions and phone records. After finding that Choorakuth had left the country to work abroad, authorities circulated a lookout circular to all immigration checkpoints. On September 17, immigration officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad intercepted Choorakuth upon his arrival and alerted the Kerala Police.
A cyber police team from Kasaragod travelled to Hyderabad and took custody of the suspect. After completing his formal arrest, investigators produced him before the Kasaragod Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody.
Investigation Focuses on Money Trail
Investigators are now focusing on tracing the movement of the defrauded ₹1.19 crore and identifying other members operating within the wider cyber fraud syndicate. Police are scrutinising the bank accounts used to receive the transactions, alongside communication records linking Choorakuth with his associates, to map the fund trail and determine his exact role in the impersonation racket.
Digital arrest scams typically involve cybercriminals impersonating law enforcement, investigative, or judicial authorities. Fraudsters subject victims to prolonged video questioning and threats of prosecution to induce panic and force financial transfers. Police stated that a similar method was employed in this case to coerce the elderly doctor into handing over his savings.
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