Cryptocurrency fraud: Police arrest 42-year-old resident of Mallapuram district of Kerala

Cryptocurrency fraud: Police arrest 42-year-old resident of Mallapuram district of Kerala

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Mar 21, 2023: The Mangaluru city police arrested a 42-year-old resident of Mallapuram district of Kerala for his alleged involvement in the ‘Morris coin’ crypto currency fraud in which some of the victims are from Mangaluru.

The city’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths arrested C.T. Hamza, a resident of Othukkungal in Mallapuram.

 

The police said they are looking at Hamza’s alleged links with K. Nishad, the main accused in the fraud case registered in Calicut, which is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

In a press note, the police said Hamza lured residents of Kannur and adjoining areas in Mangaluru, offering monthly interest of 25% and collected funds for the Morris Coin cryptocurrency launched by Nishad.

Investments were made since 2021. For a few days, the investors got interest ranging between ₹500 and ₹700 that got credited to their accounts.

Having failed to get interest, one victim filed a complaint with the city’s Cyber Economic and Narcotic Crime police station in January.

A team of CCB sleuths, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police P.A. Hegde and comprising inspector H.M. Shyam Sunder and sub inspector Rajendra, arrested Hamza on Monday.

He was produced before the jurisdictional magistrate court, which remanded him to judicial custody.

The CCB police is looking at the money trail to find other persons allegedly involved in the fraud.

The Kerala police have registered multiple FIRs with over than 900 investors getting cheated to the tune of ₹1,200 crore.

Nishad, who is reportedly at large, has been accused of using his firms to collect money from investors in the guise of initial coin offer for launch of ‘Morris coin’.

Apart from Kerala, people from Mangaluru, Bengaluru, and Chennai have invested in ‘Morris Coin’. The ED is presently investigating the case.


Courtesy: The Hindu