KOCHI : A youth, Mohammad Sayed, 26, was arrested by Ernakulam rural police for defrauding a woman of Rs 17 lakh through online fraud. He was apprehended at his home in Kozhikode after the earlier arrest of four accomplices, including Muhammad Minhaj, 22, and Mittal Shifadali, 27.

The fraudsters lured the victim with a work-from-home job to rate food items, initially paying her small amounts.

They later convinced her to invest, leading to deposits totaling Rs 17 lakh across nine accounts. When she attempted to withdraw her funds, she realized it was a scam and reported it to the police, who are probing the associated transactions.