Conman poses as shop owner’s man, tricks staff into handing over cash in Kochi

Kochi: It took just one fake phone call, a face mask and a convincing performance for a conman to walk away with ₹6,000 from a shop at Vyttila in Kochi on Monday afternoon. The CCTV-captured scam exploited the innocence of a newly hired employee, prompting police to launch a probe and investigate possible links to similar counter frauds reported within and outside the district.

The incident occurred at a textile shop near the busy Vyttila Junction. According to shop owner and complainant Rijas Karim, the fraudster appeared to have carefully planned the theft before striking.

Around 3 pm on Tuesday, a middle-aged man, neatly dressed and wearing a face mask, entered the shop and casually asked the salesgirl whether the owner was present. After learning that he was away, the man left without arousing suspicion.

About 30 minutes later, he returned with a mobile phone pressed to his ear, pretending to be in conversation with the shop owner. He then handed the phone to the salesgirl, claiming that the owner wanted her to give him some ‘documents along with the cash kept at the counter’.

Unaware that she was being deceived, the employee, who had joined the shop only recently, opened the cash drawer and took out the day’s collection. CCTV footage shows the suspect swiftly grabbing the money as the salesgirl began counting it.

“No need to count it, I’ll count it myself,” the man told her before leaving the shop with the cash.

The deception came to light only after the employee called Rijas Karim to inform him that the cash had been collected by a person allegedly sent by him.

“As soon as she told me someone had taken the cash on my instructions, I realised we had been scammed. She was quite new to the job and couldn’t figure out what was happening at the moment. I immediately reported the matter to Kadavanthra police station, and we hope the CCTV footage helps track him down swiftly,” Rijas Karim said.

Kadavanthra police have initiated an investigation into the incident; however, they are yet to register a case.

“The complainant has been asked to appear before us today to give a detailed statement. He had approached the station yesterday with the complaint, and the investigation is now underway,” a police officer told Onmanorama.

The police said they are examining whether the suspect could be linked to similar frauds reported elsewhere but stressed that no conclusions can be drawn until the accused is identified and questioned.

“We suspect that someone resembling this person has been involved in similar frauds elsewhere. However, we cannot say that with absolute certainty. We can only do so after taking him into custody through the investigation and questioning him. But we have some leads. We will register a case,” the officer said.

The police are also looking into whether the Vyttila incident is connected to a similar case registered by the Alappuzha North police in 2025.

According to an FIR, a man employed the same tactic at a shop in SAS Mahal Complex, Vazhicherry, on May 5, 2025. In that case too, the accused allegedly first confirmed that the shop owner was absent before returning with a fake phone call and convincing an employee to hand over ₹7,500, claiming he had been sent by the proprietor.

The police are now scrutinising CCTV footage from the Vyttila shop and nearby establishments while cross-checking records from similar cases across districts to identify the masked suspect.