Malappuram: The Mankada police arrested two men on Wednesday for defrauding a Makkaraparamba native of ₹15 lakh through an online trading scam. The accused are Suraj Abraham (23) from Peroorkada and Sulfikar (23) from Pachalloor, Thiruvananthapuram.

The duo lured the man with assurances of high returns via bank transfers starting in December 2024. While no returns were given, the money was never refunded either.

Following the arrest, the dispute that led to the case being registered was resolved amicably among the parties. The court quashed the First Information Report registered at the Mankada police station and cancelled all further proceedings against the petitioners in October 2025. 

Suraj and Sulfikar had rented a building in Karamana, which they used as their base of operations. The accused allegedly opened bank accounts using acquaintances' credentials, took control of their ATM cards, and replaced linked mobile numbers to block SMS alerts about withdrawals. They offered commissions of ₹2,000–₹3,000 per account. 

Police recovered over 150 SIM cards, 50 ATM cards, mobile phones, passbooks, chequebooks, Paytm QR scanners, and currency-counting machines during the arrest. Investigations revealed that more individuals were part of the racket, which operated across multiple districts from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. The group has swindled nearly ₹3 crore across Kerala. Criminal cases were already registered against the duo in Karnataka.

The arrests were made under the direction of Perinthalmanna DYSP Premjith. The Mankada police team, including Inspector Ashwath S Karanmayil, SCPO Sony Johnson, and CPO Suresh, worked in coordination with Karamana SI Suresh Kumar, SI Jayaprasad, and cyber officers Binoy, Harilal, and Rajesh from Thiruvananthapuram.