Malappuram: The Malappuram Cyber Crime Police on Saturday arrested the main accused from Andhra Pradesh in a case of online fraud involving Rs 52 lakh. The accused, identified as Pedereddy Gangaraju, was arrested in connection with a case registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in May 2024. He was accused of swindling people of money by promising phoney investment schemes.

According to the complainant who is a bank employee, he was contacted through WhatsApp by someone posing as a representative from Amazon’s promotion department. The fraudster convinced the victim that there was a job opportunity that would generate a substantial monthly income.

He was then sent a link to join a Telegram group, where he was instructed to perform 25 online tasks daily, some of which were pre-paid assignments. He was told that completing these tasks would earn him a commission ranging from 30% to 45%.

"The accused convinced the complainant to transfer money from his bank account to various bank accounts used by the perpetrators in different states. A website showing large profits was also shared with the victim, further encouraging him to invest.

"However, when the complainant did not receive the promised returns and was asked to send more money to get his profits back, he realised that he had been scammed. He then filed a complaint on the Cybercrime portal," Malappuram Cyber Police informed.

Upon investigation, the police traced the bank accounts used by the fraudsters and discovered that the address associated with one of the bank account holders in Mumbai was fraudulent. With the help of Andhra Pradesh Police, it was found that the person listed at that address did not reside there.

The cops monitored the social media accounts of suspects as part of the probe, which led to the accused. Malappuram District Police Chief R Vishwanath, DYSP V Jayachandran, Cyber Crime Police Station Inspector I C Chitharanjan led the probe.