Mammootty named Kerala Police’s cyber security captain
Actor urges parents to guide children on phone use as Kerala steps up cyber safety efforts
Malayalam superstar Mammootty has been named Kerala Police’s ‘Cyber Security Captain’ as the state launches a new campaign to raise awareness about online fraud and cybercrime.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala announced the appointment at an event at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi on Saturday. He also launched CLICK (Community Led Initiative for Cyber Resilient Kerala), a programme developed by the Kerala Police Cyber Wing to make the state more resilient to cyber threats by 2027.
Mammootty calls for responsible internet use
Speaking at the event, Mammootty urged young people to take an active role in preventing cybercrime. He also called on parents to guide their children towards the responsible use of technology.
Giving children smartphones whenever they cry or demand them was not a good practice, he said. Until children are mature enough to use mobile phones responsibly, parents could consider giving them basic feature phones instead.
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Mammootty said technology could be used for both good and bad purposes, and the internet was no exception. With artificial intelligence making it easier to mislead people, he stressed the need to recognise and prevent online crimes.
The actor also presented CLICK Captain caps to 10 selected students as part of the initiative.
Over 54,000 cyber fraud complaints last year
Chennithala said preventing cybercrime before it happens was more effective than investigating cases after people had lost money or fallen victim to fraud.
More than 54,000 cyber fraud complaints were registered in Kerala last year, he said, adding that criminals often took advantage of people's limited knowledge of technology.
Although eliminating cybercrime completely was difficult, stronger preventive measures could help reduce such offences, the minister said.
He urged people to use strong passwords, update their applications regularly, protect personal data and avoid clicking on suspicious links.
Anyone who falls victim to cyber fraud should immediately call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 to report the incident and seek assistance.
— With inputs from IANS
