MUMBAI: The South Mumbai cyber police have arrested Mohammad Abubakar, a Dubai-based operator, in connection with a ₹3.98 crore cyber fraud case. Abubakar, originally from Kozhikode, Kerala, had been running the cyber fraud racket from Dubai for over five years. He was apprehended while visiting India to celebrate Bakri Eid.

The 72-year-old victim, a resident of CP Tank in South Mumbai, lodged a police complaint last month after being defrauded by individuals who falsely identified themselves as customs officers. One of the fraudsters, posing as "Naresh," contacted the victim via WhatsApp, accusing him of involvement in a money laundering case and threatening legal action if he did not deposit funds into various bank accounts.

During the investigation, police discovered that Abubakar, along with an associate in Dubai, had orchestrated the scam. They lured the victim into a video call, pretending to conduct an interrogation from an agency's office, with people in uniform visible in the background. Believing the threat to be real, the victim transferred ₹3.98 crore between April 26 and May 8.

The case led to the earlier arrest of Anup Kumar Kurikotal, a 45-year-old from Kannur district, Kerala. Anup’s role involved opening bank accounts in Mumbai and Kerala, where the victim’s money was deposited. He then withdrew the funds and sent them to Dubai through hawala channels. Police discovered that Anup had created 42 such bank accounts, all linked to cyber fraud activities.

Following Anup's arrest, police obtained information on Abubakar and arrested him in his native village. Abubakar was brought to Mumbai and presented in court, where he was remanded to police custody until June 30. A notebook containing bank account records and two mobile phones were seized from him during the arrest.