Kharghar resident duped of Rs 8.39 lakh in Mahanagar Gas APK file fraud

A 59-year-old resident of Sector 35, Kharghar, lost Rs 8,39,755 in a cyber fraud scheme after scammers posing as Mahanagar Gas employees tricked him into downloading an APK file on his mobile phone. The Kharghar police registered a case against unidentified cyber fraudsters and launched an investigation following a complaint by the victim, Satish Pillai.

According to police, Pillai received a call last week from a person claiming to be an employee of Mahanagar Gas. The caller informed him that his gas bill had not been updated and that the process needed to be completed immediately. After gaining Pillai's confidence, the accused sent an APK file to his WhatsApp account and instructed him to download it.

As soon as Pillai downloaded the file, the accused allegedly gained remote control of his mobile phone. They accessed his banking facilities and transferred Rs 8,39,755 from his bank account through online transactions within a short period. Pillai realized he had been duped only after noticing the unauthorized money transfers.

Following the incident, Pillai approached the police to report the crime. Police are currently investigating the online transactions to track down and identify the beneficiaries of the transferred funds.

In response to the case, police issued an advisory warning citizens against downloading unknown files. A police officer stated that citizens should not download APK files or click on links received from unknown persons, even if the sender claims to represent a government department, utility company, or bank. Authorities emphasized that banking credentials, OTPs, or other confidential information should never be shared with strangers.