A 28-year-old man from Mangaluru has filed a complaint at the Surathkal police station after cybercriminals allegedly siphoned off Rs 2.2 lakh from his bank accounts using a fraudulent RTO challan APK link sent via WhatsApp.
Details of the Incident
According to the complaint, the victim received an APK link on WhatsApp from a friend's mobile number on April 24. The message appeared to be an RTO challan, prompting him to click on the link. After opening it, a page appeared asking for his email ID, mobile number, and UIDAI details.
After entering the requested information, the complainant noticed that his WhatsApp stopped functioning. Upon checking his phone, he found that his SIM card had become inactive and his UIDAI-linked services appeared blocked.
The complainant later approached the concerned offices and obtained a replacement SIM card with the same mobile number, which he activated on the same day. However, on April 28 at 3:30 PM, he began receiving SMS alerts about money being debited from his bank account. He immediately visited his bank branch, where officials informed him that fraudulent transactions had been carried out.
Financial Loss
According to the complaint, Rs 99,800 was transferred to a bank account through three separate transactions of Rs 8,000, Rs 45,900, and Rs 45,900. Additionally, another Rs 1.2 lakh was transferred to another account through four transactions of Rs 25,000, Rs 25,000, Rs 25,000, and Rs 50,000. In total, the fraudsters siphoned off Rs 2,24,800 from the complainant's savings account. A case has been registered at the Surathkal police station.
Another Fraud Case in Karkala
In a separate incident, a case of online investment fraud has been registered at the Karkala Town police station. A man was allegedly cheated of Rs 2 lakh by an unidentified person who promised high returns through stock market investments.
According to police, the accused contacted the complainant on January 23 and convinced him to invest money in the stock market by promising high profits and attractive returns. Believing the claims, the complainant transferred Rs 2 lakh from his bank account. However, the accused neither returned the invested amount nor provided any promised profits, cheating him through an online fraud scheme. Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under Sections 66(D) of the IT Act and 318(4) of the BNS.
