Fake website offering Kerala lottery tickets detected, cyber police launch probe
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A probe has been launched after authorities detected a fake website of the Kerala lottery offering online ticket purchase, police said on Thursday.
The Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Police registered a case and began an investigation following a complaint lodged by the Deputy Director of the Kerala Lottery Directorate on Tuesday, officials said.
According to police, the Kerala Lottery Directorate recently learned of the fake website keralastatelottery.site.
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The website carried the department's official emblem, pictures of Kerala ministers, and details taken from the official website, police said.
Claiming to be the official website, it is suspected of running fake online lotteries that offer rewards.
Police said that people who logged in to the website were also provided with lottery details via WhatsApp.
Police said the number of people who may have lost money after purchasing lotteries on the website is under investigation.
Details are also being collected about those who created and operated the website, police added.
The case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act for cheating and impersonation.
Kerala lotteries are widely popular, and people from neighbouring states also purchase tickets.
The Kerala Lottery department conducts lottery draws daily.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
