Kerala Police arrest three in harassment case linked to loan app in Noida

Kannur City Cyber Crime Police have arrested three suspects in connection with harassment linked to the loan app “Instant Funds,” following the death of a dental college student at Ancharakandi, Kerala.

The accused, Rishikesh Tiwari (32) from Ghaziabad, Prashant Kheval (28) from Uttar Pradesh, and Prakash Jai (54) from Faridabad, Haryana, were apprehended in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The arrests were carried out under the direction of Kannur City Police Commissioner Nidhinraj P. IPS, with the operation led by SI Mithun SV and Cyber Police Officers Sunil K and Dijin Raj PK.

The investigation began after the student’s teacher filed a complaint, as their phone number was listed as a reference in the loan app.

The accused allegedly continued making threatening calls and sending harassing messages to the teacher after the student failed to repay the loan. Despite the teacher blocking numbers, the harassment persisted from numerous other contacts.

Police investigations traced an active call number to Noida, identifying the operation’s location.

Although the team faced difficulties in finding the accused within the large city, they located their office, described as an IT-like setup employing about 40 staff members who managed loan promotions, disbursements, and recovery.

With assistance from Noida Police, the authorities conducted a raid that uncovered the use of SIM boxes capable of operating up to 30 SIM cards simultaneously for mass calling. Several SIM boxes and multiple SIM cards were seized from the premises.