‘Caught red-handed’: Scammer pretends to be cop, dials real police officer from Kerala | Watch

Amid the growth in cybercrime at an alarming rate in India, scammers becoming increasingly inventive in their attempts to trick unsuspecting victims.

In a recent case in Kerala, a scammer posing as a Mumbai Police officer was caught red-handed by the Thrissur City Police in a rather unusual way.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the scammer made a crucial mistake while attempting to carry out his scam. Unknowingly, he video-called a Thrissur Police officer from the Cyber Cell because he thought he was speaking to a potential victim.

However, the officer on the other side of the call was none other than the Thrissur Cyber Cell officer himself.

When the scammer, dressed in a police uniform, introduced himself as an officer from Mumbai, the Thrissur officer turned on his camera. The scammer realised he had made a critical error.

Initially, the officer, having initially turned off his camera, responded to the scammer’s query, "Where are you?" calmly, “My camera is not working properly, sir.”

Pressing further, the scammer insisted the officer turn on the camera. In response, the Thrissur cop complied, asking, "What do you do?"

The moment of confrontation left the scammer laughing in disbelief since he quickly realised his mistake. Seizing the opportunity, the officer told the scammer, “Stop doing this work... I have your address, your location, and everything. This is Cyber Cell. It's best you stop doing this work.”

Following the video was shared on Instagram by Thrissur City Police, it went viral and netizens reacted on this.

Here are a few comments:

One Instagram user commented, “This is what happens when you think you can fool everyone. Poor guy didn’t even realise who he was talking to!”

Another user wrote, "Looks like he won’t be wearing that uniform for long."

Some one said, "Caught red-handed! That awkward moment when you realise you're the one being scammed."

Another added, "This cop handled it like a pro. Well done to him for turning the tables."