In one of the largest cyber fraud cases ever reported in Kerala, a 49-year-old pharmaceutical businessman from Elamkulam, Kochi, has been duped of a staggering ₹24.76 crore through an elaborate online investment scam. The fraud, which unfolded between March 2023 and August 2025, has shocked both law enforcement agencies and the business community.
The scam began when the victim was contacted by a man identifying himself as “Daniel,” who approached him via phone calls and Telegram using the handle @capitalix_bot. He lured the businessman into investing through a trading platform called Capitalix (www.capitalix.com), promising unusually high returns.
To gain his trust, the platform displayed forged profits, such as showing an initial ₹2 crore deposit doubling to ₹4 crore. Convinced by these fake gains, the victim kept transferring funds over several months—ultimately losing nearly ₹25 crore. The scheme collapsed when he tried to withdraw his returns and found both his investment and profits inaccessible.
Following his complaint, Kochi city cyber police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and criminal breach of trust. Investigators are now working to trace the money trail, identify the accounts where the funds were diverted, and track down those behind the sophisticated operation.
This massive fraud highlights the growing menace of online investment scams, where even experienced and educated individuals are falling prey to carefully staged deception. By exploiting digital platforms, fake trading websites, and false promises of high returns, cybercriminals continue to manipulate public trust—leaving behind financial devastation.
