A Kozhikode woman approached police after losing Rs 49.2 lakh in an online trading fraud. The case underscores the growing misuse of AI-generated ministerial videos for financial scams.The video showed Nirmala Sitharaman claiming that online trading could generate high returns.Kozhikode,Nov 12, 2026 23:55 ISTA 45-year-old woman allegedly lost Rs 49.2 lakh in an online trading fraud after being lured by a fake Facebook video featuring Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, police said.The Kozhikode Rural Cyber Crime Police registered a case on Wednesday after the woman complained that the fraudsters had neither returned her investment nor paid the promised profits.The complainant, a resident of Maikkavu in Thamarassery, came across the fake video on Facebook.
It purportedly showed Sitharaman claiming that online trading could generate high returns, police told news agency PTI.Believing the claims, the woman clicked on a link accompanying the video and began investing as instructed by the fraudsters. Between July 15 and September 22 this year, she transferred a total of Rs 49.2 lakh from her accounts with the State Bank of India and Puthuppadi Service Cooperative Bank to various bank accounts provided by the accused, police said.
After the accused failed to return the money or pay the promised profits, the woman approached the police. A case was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.Police said they were tracking the bank accounts to which the money had been transferred and were trying to freeze them.
They said AI-generated videos featuring Union ministers and purportedly promoting investment schemes had been circulating on social media platforms. Advisories have repeatedly warned people against falling prey to such cyber frauds.The case involves an alleged loss of Rs 49.2 lakh after the woman acted on claims made in a fake social media video, with police now tracing the recipient accounts and taking steps to freeze them.- Ends