Mumbai Retirees Lose ₹12 Lakh In Two Hours: Cyber Fraudsters Use APK Files To Drain Bank Accounts
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai: Two retired individuals lost lakhs of rupees in online scams in separate incidents. A 60-year-old retired Central Railway employee was allegedly duped of Rs 3.95 lakh by cyber fraudsters, while a 73-year-old retired bank employee lost Rs 8.9 lakh in an online fraud.
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The Modus Operandi
According to the FIR registered by the Parksite police, the complainant, Rakesh Roshanlal Khanna, 73, a resident of Parksite in Vikhroli West, lives alone and is a retired employee of the Bank of Baroda in Mumbai. On February 18, he lodged a complaint on the cyber crime portal alleging an online fraud of Rs8.09 lakh. He also submitted a written complaint to the official email ID of the Parksite police station.
Based on his statement, the police have registered an offence under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act and initiated an investigation.
In his complaint, Khanna stated that on February 13 at around 10.40 am, he received WhatsApp calls from three unknown mobile numbers. The caller identified himself as Shyamkumar Verma from Bank of Baroda and inquired about his application for a pension card. The caller allegedly told him that the application required an update and sent a file titled “BOBHRMS VERIFICATION.APK” on WhatsApp, asking him to download it.
Discovery of Fraud
After downloading the file, Khanna’s mobile phone reportedly stopped functioning. On February 15, he visited an Airtel gallery and obtained a new SIM card. Once the new SIM was inserted, the phone resumed working. Growing suspicious, he later visited his banks, Yes Bank and HDFC Bank where he discovered unauthorized transactions.
Police said Rs7,99,906 was debited in three transactions from his Yes Bank account, while Rs9,900 was withdrawn in two transactions from his HDFC Bank account. Realising he had been cheated, Khanna approached the police, who are now probing the cyber fraud.
Acoording to the Meghawadi FIR, the complainant, identified as Sanjeet Shriram Utekar, a resident of Jogeshwari East, retired from Central Railway, Matunga Workshop, on January 31, 2026. The incident took place on February 19 between 1.43 pm and 2.29 pm while he was at his residence.
The complainant received a phone call from mobile number 8434098832. The caller introduced himself as “Ashok Sengar” and claimed to be calling from the Central Railway office at Matunga. The caller informed him that his pension process required an urgent update and asked him to complete certain formalities.
The 'Pension Update' Trap
Subsequently, the fraudster sent an APK file named “RESS (PENSION)(5).apk” via WhatsApp from another number, 8103284313, and asked the complainant to download it. After downloading the application, the victim was prompted to enter his personal details, including his name, date of birth, Canara Bank account number, ATM card details, and CVV number.
Soon after entering the details, two transactions were made from his Canara Bank account (A/c No. 50832010016901). An amount of Rs 1,99,003.54 was transferred at 2.23 pm, followed by another transfer of Rs 1,96,483.85 at 2.29 pm, taking the total fraudulent withdrawal to Rs 3,95,487.
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Realising he had been cheated, the complainant immediately contacted his bank’s customer care service and requested that his account be blocked. He also lodged a complaint with the national cyber crime helpline (1930) and received an acknowledgement.
Based on his complaint, the Meghwadi Police registered FIR No. 0081/2026 on February 28 under Sections 43, 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with Sections 318(4), 319(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The investigation is being carried out by Inspector Sudhakar Ramchandra Humbe.
Police have urged citizens, especially senior citizens, to avoid downloading unknown applications and sharing sensitive banking information over phone calls.
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