Kochi | Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into an alleged email impersonation fraud in which unidentified persons posing as representatives of an Italian company cheated Lulu Group of around Rs 1.64 crore, officials said on Saturday.

Kochi City Police registered an FIR on Friday at the Cyber Crime Police Station based on a complaint by Deepak Sreedhar Nair, legal manager of Lulu Group, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

According to the FIR, the fraud allegedly took place between September 2 and 29 this year, when unidentified persons created email addresses resembling those of IE Park SRL, an Italian company that has a long-standing business relationship with Lulu Group.

Posing as representatives of the Italian company, the accused allegedly contacted Lulu Group through the fake email addresses and sent invoices and bank account details for payment of the outstanding amount for gaming equipment purchased, the FIR said.

Believing the communications to be genuine, Lulu Group transferred 150,500 euros, equivalent to around Rs 1.64 crore, to the bank accounts provided by the fraudsters, according to the FIR.

Police said the accused allegedly used forged electronic communications and impersonation to cause wrongful financial loss to Lulu Group and obtain wrongful financial gain.

The accused have not been identified, and further investigation is under way, police said.

Lulu Group, headed by M A Yusuff Ali, has a global business presence, particularly in the Middle East, and operates across several states in India.

The group has interests in hypermarkets, shopping malls, import and distribution, trading, shipping and information technology, among other sectors.

Lulu Group is yet to respond to the incident.