Mumbai Crime: Interstate Cyber Gang Busted For Duping People Via Fake MGL APK Files; 3 Arrested

Mumbai, April 22: In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai Cyber Police have busted an interstate cyber fraud racket that cheated people by sending fake APK files in the name of Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL). The accused allegedly siphoned money from victims’ bank accounts after gaining access to their mobile devices.

Arrests across states

The police tracked the gang across Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Bihar, and arrested three accused identified as Arif Ansari (28), Bilal Sheikh (28), and Mehboob Alam (25). Five mobile phones were recovered from their possession, which contained multiple fake APK files used in the fraud.

Modus operandi

According to investigators, the gang would send messages to victims claiming that their MGL gas connection was about to be disconnected. Posing as company officials, they would then contact the victims and ask them to download a file named “MGL Gas Unblock APK.” Once downloaded, the malware-enabled file gave the accused access to the victims’ mobile phones and banking data.

Case details

In one such case, a 64-year-old Kurla resident, Upendra Narayan Muskur, was targeted. The fraudsters sent him a fake APK file after warning that his gas connection would be blocked. After he downloaded the file, ₹2.35 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account. Following his complaint, a case was registered at the West Region Cyber Police Station and an investigation was initiated.

Investigation and arrest

During the probe, police conducted a technical analysis of the APK file, which revealed several mobile numbers, IMEI numbers, IP details, and email IDs.

The investigation led to the identification of the main accused, Arif Ansari, a resident of Jharkhand. A police team initially reached Jharkhand, but he was found absconding. Later, inputs suggested he was hiding in Siliguri, West Bengal.

Acting on this information, a Mumbai Police team kept surveillance and eventually tracked the accused while they were attempting to flee by train. With the assistance of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), all three were apprehended on Tuesday morning at Kishanganj railway station in Bihar.

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Further probe underway

Police suspect that the gang has defrauded several victims across the country using similar methods. The accused are being brought to Mumbai on transit remand. Officials believe that further interrogation may lead to the exposure of multiple APK-based fraud cases nationwide.

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