Kochi, October 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Malayalam superstar Mammootty has been appointed Kerala Police’s ‘Cyber Security Captain’ as the state steps up efforts to tackle the growing threat of cybercrime 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 have been committed.
Chennithala inaugurated CLICK (Community Led Initiative for Cyber Resilient Kerala), a cyber security programme developed by the Kerala Police Cyber Wing under the Home Department. The initiative aims to make Kerala completely cyber-resilient by 2027.
Addressing the gathering, Mammootty urged the younger generation to become captains in the fight against cybercrime and emphasised the importance of parents guiding children in the responsible use of technology.
He said giving smartphones to children whenever they cried or demanded something, simply to pacify them, was not a good practice.
Until children are mature enough to use mobile phones responsibly, it would be better to provide them with feature phones, he suggested. He noted that inventions could be used for both good and bad purposes, and the internet was no exception.
Society must learn to use the internet properly and prevent its misuse, he said.
Mammootty also cautioned that the possibilities of misleading people were increasing in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Society must develop the ability to identify and confront cybercrimes, he said, describing the new initiative as a step in that direction.
The superstar also presented CLICK Captain caps to 10 selected students.
Chennithala said that while completely eliminating cybercrime in the digital age was difficult, effective preventive measures could help contain it.
More than 54,000 cyber fraud complaints were registered in Kerala last year, he said, adding that many fraudsters exploited the lack of technological awareness among ordinary people.
The minister advised people to use strong passwords, regularly update applications, secure their data and exercise caution before clicking on suspicious links.
He urged victims of cyber fraud to immediately contact the helpline 1930.
Chennithala also announced that his office would become fully digitalised from November 3. The system will include an online complaint mechanism and a dashboard to monitor the progress of public grievances.
FOLLOW NOW
