Mumbai, Aug 8 (IANS) In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, the Dahisar Police in Mumbai have arrested two individuals for allegedly cheating a man of nearly Rs 5 lakh by posing as representatives of Mahanagar Gas Limited and tricking him into updating his gas bill through a malicious application.
According to the police, the accused contacted the victim over the phone and introduced themselves as employees of Mahanagar Gas Limited. They informed the victim that his gas bill needed to be updated and persuaded him to download an APK file on his mobile phone under the pretext of completing the process.
After the victim downloaded the file, the accused gained access to his device and siphoned off around Rs 4.98 lakh from his bank account.
During the course of the investigation, police found that the defrauded amount had been transferred to multiple bank accounts. Through technical analysis, scrutiny of banking records, and digital tracking, investigators identified and traced the accused.
The two arrested individuals have been identified as Ayush Rajesh Gupta and Ankit Sanjay Tiwari.
Police said the accused used fake bank accounts and digital channels to receive and route the fraudulently obtained funds.
Following their arrest, further investigations were launched to determine whether the accused were involved in similar cyber fraud cases and to identify any additional members of the network.
The Dahisar Police have issued an advisory urging citizens to remain vigilant against online scams.
Officials warned people not to download APK files received through phone calls, messages, or social media links in the name of gas bill updates, KYC verification, or account activation.
Citizens have also been advised not to click on suspicious links shared by unknown persons.
The arrests come amid a rise in cyber fraud cases involving criminals impersonating representatives of utility service providers.
In a similar incident reported on August 6, a Navi Mumbai-based environmental activist was cheated of more than Rs 1.5 lakh by fraudsters posing as Mahanagar Gas representatives.
The victim, B.N. Kumar had received a message threatening disconnection of his domestic gas connection due to an unpaid bill.
Police had said Kumar later received calls from a man claiming to be a Mahanagar Gas employee, who informed him that a previous payment had not been reflected in the system. The caller then sent a WhatsApp link that appeared to be an official payment portal showing outstanding dues of just Rs 12.
Under the pretext of clearing the nominal amount, the fraudster had convinced Kumar to install an APK application and enter his credit card details, claiming that debit card and UPI payment options were unavailable.
–IANS
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