Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): A man lost Rs 1.72 lakh after allegedly being duped by cyberfraudsters posing as bank officials in Thatipur area of Gwalior, police said on Saturday.
According to reports, the complainant Dr Vinay Kumar Rai works as a programme officer at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM).
Police said the incident occurred when Rai was facing issues with the official Punjab National Bank (PNB) mobile app and posted a complaint on the bank’s social media page. Shortly after, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller allegedly pretended to be a bank representative and instructed Rai to update the app via an APK file sent via WhatsApp.
Unaware of the risk, Dr Rai downloaded the file. Soon after, unauthorized transactions drained three of his linked accounts. A total of Rs 1 lakh was withdrawn from a fixed deposit, Rs 30,000 from a recurring deposit, and Rs 42,000 from a savings account.
On realizing the fraud, Rai contacted the bank, which advised him to freeze his accounts and report the crime. He has since filed complaints with both the Cyber Cell and the Thatipur police station.
Police have issued a public warning, urging citizens to never download or open APK files from unverified sources on WhatsApp or other platforms, as they are commonly used by fraudsters to gain unauthorised access to devices and financial data.
