The Crime Branch has zeroed in on 20 persons suspected to be involved in a multi-crore cryptocurrency fraud operated across the State. The suspects are believed to be a part of a large racket, the details of which emerged following the arrest of a popular vlogger, Muhammad Diligent Blesslee, who was at large in connection with one of the cases registered at Kakkur police station in Kozhikode district.
The investigation is being led by Deputy Superintendent of Police V.V. Benny and has been intensified with the support of more than 30 police officers from various stations. Police sources said 12 members of the suspected racket have already been arrested from different parts of the State with solid digital evidence.
Police officers from Kakkur station said the fraud was carried out by offering fake online job opportunities with reputed companies, mainly for promotional video shoot assignments. The racket allegedly collected large sums of money from them under the pretext of selling various company shares under their control. Social media platforms and instant messaging applications were used to lure the investors.
Police sources said the first suspected case against the racket was registered at the Kakkur police station after one of the complainants lost ₹5.15 lakh. The defrauded money was reportedly routed through multiple mule accounts and later transferred as cryptocurrency to accounts held by unknown individuals abroad. The total amount involved in the scam was estimated to be around ₹145 crore.
Six month probe
The details of many of the suspects in the racket were gathered following the interrogation of Mr. Blesslee who reportedly played key roles in the gang’s operations. It was after a six-month long probe that the police nabbed the suspect from Thiruvananthapuram airport on December 16. They had also issued a lookout notice against him after confirming his alleged role in the multi-crore investment fraud.
The preliminary investigations revealed that the majority of the cheated victims were job seekers from Thamarassery, Kodenchery and Koduvally regions in Kozhikode district. A senior police officer associated with the probe said some of the suspects left the country a few months ago noticing the criminal proceedings initiated against them. Repatriation measures would be initiated soon against them in pace with the ongoing investigation, he said.
Published – December 19, 2025 06:07 pm IST
