Cyber Fraudsters Dupe Mumbai Seniors of Over ₹30 Lakh in Voter Roll Revision Scam
Cybercriminals impersonating Election Commission officials have cheated senior citizens across Mumbai of more than ₹30 lakh by exploiting the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to cases registered by Mumbai Police. The fraudsters targeted residents in localities including Chembur and Trombay using malicious APK files and fake links under the pretext of correcting voter records.
The scam came to light after multiple elderly victims approached the police reporting unauthorized bank and credit card withdrawals after receiving calls and messages regarding alleged discrepancies in their voter details.
In one case, 66-year-old retired bank employee Shailesh Pandurang Kulkarni was contacted on August 25 by an individual claiming to represent the Election Commission’s Mumbai office. The caller told Kulkarni that an error had been identified in his electoral roll details and instructed him to pay a ₹5 fee to rectify it. After Kulkarni was sent an APK file, fraudsters allegedly used it to siphon ₹4.65 lakh from his account and an additional ₹2.36 lakh from his sister’s account.
In Chembur, 79-year-old resident Manjeri Subramanyam Krishnamurthy received a call on August 1 from fraudsters who alleged that his voter records displayed his previous address. The callers informed Krishnamurthy that their team was assisting citizens with completing SIR forms and sent an APK file to his device. The perpetrators accessed his financial details and withdrew ₹11.28 lakh through the credit card linked to his savings account.
A similar complaint was lodged with the Trombay police by 77-year-old retired BARC doctor Dr Pratap Bongirwar. On July 30, fraudsters sent Dr Bongirwar a link claiming that his name and his father’s name did not match official electoral records. After following the instructions provided in the message, ₹6.71 lakh was fraudulently transferred from his bank account.
According to police cases, the fraudsters systematically used the ongoing voter list revision exercise as a pretext to install malicious software on victims' mobile devices, granting unauthorized access to personal banking and credit card credentials.
