Mammootty As Kerala Cop's 'Cyber Captain'

Malayalam superstar Mammootty has been named Kerala Police's 'Cyber Security Captain' as the state steps up efforts to combat the growing threat of cybercrimes through a new community-based initiative.

Announcing the appointment at a function held at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Saturday, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said cybercrimes must be prevented before they occur rather than merely investigated after they are committed.

Chennithala inaugurated CLICK (Community Led Initiative for Cyber Resilient Kerala), a cyber security programme designed by the Kerala Police Cyber Wing under the Home Department, with the objective of making Kerala completely cyber-resilient by 2027.

In his remarks on the occasion, Mammootty called upon the younger generation to become captains in the fight against cybercrime and stressed the need for parents to guide children in the responsible use of technology.

Giving smartphones to children whenever they cry or insist on something as a means of pacifying them was not a good practice, he said.

Until children become mature enough to use mobile phones responsibly, it would be better to provide them with feature phones, he said, noting that inventions were being used for both good and bad purposes, and the internet was no exception.

Society should learn to use the internet properly and prevent its misuse, he said.

In the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the possibilities of misleading people were increasing.

Society must become capable of identifying and confronting cybercrimes, Mammootty said, adding that the new initiative was a step in that direction.

The superstar also presented CLICK Captain caps to 10 selected students.

Chennithala noted that in the cyber age, eliminating cybercrimes completely was difficult, but effective preventive measures could help contain them.

More than 54,000 cyber fraud complaints were registered in the state last year.

Many fraudsters exploited the lack of technological awareness among ordinary people, he said.

He advised people to use strong passwords, regularly update applications, secure their data, and exercise caution before clicking suspicious links.

Victims of cyber fraud should immediately contact the helpline 1930.

The minister also announced that his office would become fully digitalised from November 3, with an online complaint mechanism and dashboard to monitor the progress of public grievances.