Cyber Fraudsters Dupe Mumbai Residents of Over Rs 30 Lakh in Voter Revision Scam

Cybercriminals in Mumbai have allegedly defrauded residents of more than Rs 30 lakh by impersonating Election Commission officials during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the state.

According to the Mumbai Police, the fraudsters have been actively exploiting the official voter revision exercise to target city residents, with a particular focus on senior citizens. The scam involves contacting individuals with false claims that discrepancies and errors have been detected in their voter records.

In several cases registered across the city, victims were directed to download malicious APK files or click on fraudulent links under the pretext of updating their electoral information.

In one specific case, 66-year-old retired bank employee Shailesh Pandurang Kulkarni was targeted on August 25. A caller claiming to represent the Election Commission's Mumbai office informed Kulkarni that an error had been found in his electoral roll details. The fraudster instructed him to pay a nominal fee of Rs 5 to rectify the issue.

The victim was subsequently sent an APK file. Upon following the instructions, the malicious file allegedly granted the fraudsters access to siphoned funds, resulting in the theft of Rs 4.65 lakh from Kulkarni's bank account. The accused also siphoned an additional Rs 2.36 lakh from his sister's bank account.

Several other similar incidents involving fake links and malicious software linked to the SIR exercise have come to light across Mumbai. Following the reported increase in such cases, the Mumbai Police have initiated investigations to track down and identify the individuals operating the fraudulent network.