Malayalam telefilm actor held for Rs 54 lakh cyber fraud in Bhubaneswar

The State Cyber Police has arrested a 49-year-old Malayalam telefilm producer and actor for allegedly masterminding a cyber fraud operation that siphoned off over Rs 54 lakh from a Bhubaneswar resident.

The accused, identified as Prasad Balan, also known in the entertainment circuit as Kichu, was arrested from Kerala in a coordinated operation between Bhubaneswar Cyber Police and Kerala Police.

High-Return Trap With Fake Trading Apps

According to police sources, Kichu posed as a reputed film producer and lured unsuspecting individuals into fake investment schemes. Victims were promised lucrative returns through virtual gold bidding, facilitated by bogus trading platforms– perthmint-bid.com and perthmint-jewellery.com.

But the glitter was only bait. Once money was deposited, the victims were left high and dry.

In addition to the fraudulent investment model, Kichu also allegedly ran fake part-time job advertisements, which targeted job seekers desperate for income, further widening his scam network.

Complaint in Bhubaneswar Leads to Crackdown

The entire racket unraveled when Deepak Nayak, a resident of Bhubaneswar, filed a complaint after being duped of over Rs 54 lakh. Investigators traced the trail to Kerala, leading to Kichu’s arrest.

During the raid, officials seized a cache of incriminating documents, including multiple bank passbooks, PAN cards, and passports, suggesting a wide web of manipulation and identity misuse.

Nationwide Footprint & Film Industry Links

Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused had spread his fraudulent operations across at least 10 states, tapping into a network of digital deception.

Police informed that a significant portion of the ill-gotten money was pumped into film production and entertainment ventures, raising suspicions about possible laundering links within the regional media industry.

The Bhubaneswar Cyber Cell is now coordinating with other states to track the full scale of the racket.