A Gujarat native who reportedly masterminded a deepfake scam in which a Kozhikode native lost ₹40,000 from his bank account was remanded in judicial custody on Thursday. Shaik Murthu Samiyahayath, the suspect, was nabbed by a special squad of the Kozhikode City police from his hideout in Gujarat’s Mehsana district.
The case was cracked after a four-month-long investigation supported by the hi-tech cell of the Kerala Police. They had recovered the lost money within a few weeks into the investigation.
Police sources said the suspect was an expert in creating fake accounts in various banks using fake identity documents and mobile phone numbers. He was found using numerous mobile phones with SIM cards obtained in the names of unknown villagers.
“In the preliminary investigation itself, we had confirmed that he was involved in a series of similar crimes in Karnataka and Gujarat. More details will be available soon,” said an officer associated with the squad. He added that the suspect was nabbed through a scientific inquiry with the support of the Kozhikode cyber police station.
It was in July 2023 that the incident was reported to the police. The complainant was a retired employee of Coal India Limited. According to him, the caller pretended to be one of his friends in Andhra Pradesh in a fake video call. The fraudster had used artificial intelligence tools to operate the trickery and made the victim pay money through GPay.
Officers from the Kozhikode cyber police station said it was the first such incident in the State where a scammer used deepfake technology to cheat a man and steal his money. They added that it was a proud moment for the police as they could track it without much delay and recover the lost amount.
