Kerala police scrutinise foreign trips of cyber fraud accused
KOCHI: Police have launched a detailed investigation into the international trips of two Muhamma residents allegedly linked to Chinese cyber fraud syndicates. The accused — Shajahan V A, 50, and Dileef A S, 43, both from Muhamma near Cherthala — were arrested following a probe into a cyber fraud case in which a Panampilly Nagar resident lost Rs 17.89 lakh in November 2024.
As part of the investigation, police examined over 100 bank accounts and identified Shajahan as a key suspect. According to officials, Rs 11 lakh of the defrauded money was traced to accounts belonging to Shajahan and his brother-in-law, Dileef.
'The accused were primarily responsible for arranging bank accounts to be used in cyber fraud operations. We have been tracking Shajahan for over six months. During that time, we found that both he and Dileef travelled to Nepal and China, where they met Chinese nationals suspected of being involved in cyber fraud cases. They also made frequent trips to north Indian states to hold meetings,' a police officer said.
Though the accused claimed that their foreign trips were for legitimate business purposes, they failed to produce convincing evidence to prove it. They reportedly created a bank account under the guise of an import-export business, which saw suspicious transactions amounting to over Rs 13 crore in a single year, with no evidence of actual business activity.
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The reasons behind the deportations have differed, from joining pro-Palestine protests to minor traffic offences, leaving many students caught in legal trouble and uncertainty. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US has deported around 1,080 Indian nationals. The latest case has also reminded many of earlier deportations that caused public outrage. In February, a video released by the US Border Patrol showed over 100 Indians being sent back, with their hands cuffed and legs chained.
