A pharmaceutical company based in Kochi has allegedly been duped of ₹99 lakh by an unidentified fraudster who impersonated the chief executive officer of the firm on WhatsApp.

The Kochi City Cyber police have registered a case in connection with the incident based on a complaint. The alleged incident took place on October 16.

According to the FIR, the accused hacked a mobile phone used by the company’s accounts department and managed to save a phone number as that of the CEO, using the WhatsApp display picture used by him.

The fraudster then allegedly communicated with the accounts department staff, posing as the CEO, and convinced a female staffer to transfer the amount to another account. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.