Cyber fraudsters siphoned off Rs 22.93 lakh from the bank account of an elderly resident of Haldwani. The victim discovered the fraud when he checked his phone and realised his device had been hacked after installing a fake 'RTO Challan' APK file received on WhatsApp a few days earlier. He has demanded action from the cyber police station, following which the police have registered an FIR and initiated an investigation.
Details Of The Incident
In his complaint, the elderly resident of Judge Farm, Haldwani (Nainital), stated that he holds a savings account at the HDFC Bank branch in Haldwani. On the evening of December 14, he received several OTPs and messages on his mobile, including some related to the gaming app Dream11. Upon checking his messages later, he noticed a notification regarding a deduction of money from his account. Suspecting fraud, he immediately called the bank's customer care and had his account blocked.
Financial Loss And Modus Operandi
On December 15, when the victim visited the bank to check his statement, he discovered that his Fixed Deposit (FD) of Rs 21 lakh, which was linked to the account, had been liquidated along with the interest on December 11 by unknown persons. The funds were then transferred to another account. Additionally, there was an existing balance of Rs 1.10 lakh in his savings account, bringing the total amount to Rs 22,93,855. The victim alleged that the money was withdrawn through 12 separate transactions between December 12 and December 14.
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The Malicious App
Upon inspecting his mobile phone after the incident, the victim found that an APK file named 'RTO Challan' had been installed on his device via WhatsApp on December 9. He stated that his mobile was hacked immediately after this installation, facilitating the theft of Rs 22.93 lakh.