Practice · Lead area
Cyber crime & IT Act matters
When something goes wrong online — money gone, an account frozen, a reputation attacked, or a police case at your door — the law gives you more options than most people realise. My work is knowing those options and moving on them quickly, from the cyber cell to the High Court of Kerala.
Coverage
What I handle
- Frozen bank accounts — accounts frozen on cyber cell instructions, often over a single incoming UPI transaction: representations to the investigating authority, applications before the jurisdictional magistrate, and writ petitions before the High Court of Kerala where the freeze is disproportionate.
- Online financial fraud — UPI, OTP and phishing frauds, investment and task scams: the 1930/NCRP golden-hour process, bank liability under RBI's limited-liability framework, FIRs, and recovery proceedings.
- Identity theft and impersonation — misuse of passwords, OTPs and identity under Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act; fake profiles and impersonation on social platforms, including takedown and prosecution.
- Sextortion and image-based abuse — Sections 66E, 67 and 67A matters, handled with the discretion they demand.
- Online harassment and cyber defamation — criminal complaints, platform grievance procedures, and civil remedies.
- Defence in cyber cases — bail and anticipatory bail, response to notices, discharge and quash petitions under Section 528 BNSS, and trial defence built on a real understanding of digital evidence.
- Data theft and business disputes — employee data theft, e-commerce disputes, and Section 43 civil claims.
How it proceeds
How a cyber matter typically proceeds
- Preserve and report. Screenshots with URLs and timestamps, transaction records, device custody. For financial fraud, 1930/NCRP immediately — the freeze window is measured in hours.
- The complaint, drafted properly. A cyber complaint that names the right sections and attaches the right evidence moves; a vague one sits. This is where drafting discipline pays.
- Investigation stage. Freezes, notices and appearances — responding on the record, protecting your interests, and pressing the investigation where you are the victim.
- Court stage. Bail or anticipatory bail where needed; applications for release of frozen accounts or seized devices; charge, trial, or quashing before the High Court where the case warrants it.
- Parallel remedies. Banking ombudsman complaints, civil recovery, and writ petitions under Article 226 where an authority has overreached.
Both sides
Both sides of the docket
I appear for complainants and for the accused. That is deliberate: knowing how investigations are built makes me better at defending against them, and knowing how defences are built makes my complaints harder to ignore.
Reading
Start with the guides
FAQ
Common questions
My bank account was frozen over a UPI transaction. What should I do first?
Ask your branch, in writing, for the details of the freeze — which authority ordered it, the reference or acknowledgment number, and whether the whole account or only a specific amount is frozen. Preserve every record of the transaction in question, and do not ignore any contact from the police. The remedies that follow — representation to the cyber cell, an application before the magistrate, or a writ petition — all depend on those details.
A cyber cell from another state has contacted me. Do I have to travel there?
Not necessarily, and not immediately. In many matters a written response, appearance through counsel, or a properly documented representation is the right first step, and courts can be moved for protective orders where appropriate. What you should never do is ignore the contact — take legal advice promptly and respond on the record.
Can a cyber crime case against me be quashed?
The High Court of Kerala can quash criminal proceedings under Section 528 of the BNSS (the successor to Section 482 CrPC) in appropriate cases — for instance where the complaint, taken at its highest, discloses no offence, or where parties have genuinely settled a private dispute. Whether a particular case qualifies depends entirely on its facts and the stage of the proceedings.
Should I report online fraud on cybercrime.gov.in or at a police station?
For financial fraud, do both — but speed matters most. Call 1930 or file on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal immediately, because the first hours decide whether the money can be frozen in the recipient chain. A formal complaint to the local police station or cyber cell can follow, and an FIR may be necessary for the investigation to proceed fully.
Get in touch