Thiruvananthapuram | A probe has been launched after cyber fraudsters allegedly duped bank officials into defreezing six frozen accounts and transferring money using forged court and police documents, police said on Saturday.

The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police registered a case following a complaint filed by the manager of a private bank at Vazhuthacaud on June 25 and began an investigation.

According to police, several bank accounts had been frozen earlier on the request of the Cyber Police in connection with criminal cases.

In April this year, the bank received an email from an address resembling the official email ID of the Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police.

The email contained a forged letter on the Cyber Police letterhead, a fake legal notice and a fabricated court order carrying the forged signature and seal of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Thiruvananthapuram, officials said.

The email directed the bank to defreeze six frozen accounts and transfer Rs 66,452 to an account maintained with another bank in Madhya Pradesh.

Police said several follow-up emails were also sent from the fake email ID, urging the bank to execute the purported court order without delay.

Bank officials recently realised that the emails and accompanying documents were forged and informed the police.

Police officials said they have sought details from the bank regarding the action taken in response to the fake communications.

Efforts are also underway to trace the bank account to which the money was transferred.

Police are also collecting details of the account holders and examining the roles of all those involved.

A detailed investigation is underway, and the accused are expected to be identified soon, police added.

The case was registered for cheating, cheating by impersonation, forgery, using a forged document as genuine, forgery of court records and counterfeiting under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.