Published Jul 28, 2026 | 2:10 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2026 | 2:10 PM
Cyber fraud
Synopsis: The operation came to light after the Thiruvananthapuram City police raided a facility at Sreekaryam under Operation Toofan, an anti-drug crackdown led by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF).
A cyber fraud racket that allegedly targeted people in the United States while posing as a loan assistance call centre was unearthed during a drug enforcement operation in Thiruvananthapuram, leading to the arrest of 20 people and the seizure of around 50 computers.
The arrests were made on Monday, 27 July. The operation came to light after the Thiruvananthapuram City police raided a facility at Sreekaryam under Operation Toofan, an anti-drug crackdown led by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF).
Police had originally placed the premises under surveillance following intelligence about suspected drug trafficking involving migrant workers in the area.
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The raid, however, exposed what investigators believe was a large-scale online loan app fraud targeting foreign nationals, primarily in the US.
The investigation has so far centred on three men from Gujarat, whom the police suspect masterminded the operation.
Two of them have been taken into custody, while efforts are continuing to trace the third accused. One suspect was intercepted at Thiruvananthapuram airport, while another was arrested at Ahmedabad airport as he allegedly attempted to flee.
The identities of the accused have not been officially disclosed. Investigators believe the accused established the operation in Kerala, planned the recruitment process and ran the fraudulent activities from the Sreekaryam office.
According to the preliminary probe, no Keralite has been found to be directly involved in the scam.
Many of those detained were reportedly employed in housekeeping and other office support roles.
Police suspect the group used the identity and details of a US-based loan application to lure victims before carrying out the fraud.
The actual scale of the operation is yet to be determined, with all the seized electronic devices set to undergo forensic examination.
During the search, investigators also recovered a computer, which they suspect was the system used by one of the key accused and may contain crucial evidence about the network’s functioning and methods.
The computer has been seized for detailed forensic analysis.
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(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
