Mumbai: In a swift and commendable action, the cyber cell of the Oshiwara Police Station successfully recovered Rs.2.5 lakh that was fraudulently withdrawn from a 71-year-old senior citizen under the pretext of an RTO e-challan.
Andheri West Resident Duped After Clicking Malicious WhatsApp Link
According to the police, the complainant, Ashok Dingrani, 71, a resident of Lokhandwala, Andheri West, received a WhatsApp message containing a link claiming that a Rs.2,000 traffic fine was pending against his vehicle. Believing the message to be genuine, he clicked on the link and entered his vehicle details and HDFC Bank credit card information to pay the fine. Shortly thereafter, he received a message stating that Rs.2.5 lakh had been debited from his credit card.
Realising that he had fallen victim to an online fraud, Dingrani immediately approached the Oshiwara Police Station and lodged a complaint.
Police Team Registers Complaint on Cyber Portal
Under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Chavan, the cyber team promptly registered the complaint on the National Cyber Crime Portal (1930 helpline). Upon verification of the transaction alert received from HDFC Bank, it was found that the amount had been transferred to Croma. The police immediately contacted the nodal officers of HDFC Bank and initiated urgent email communication, resulting in the fraudulent amount being put on hold. The entire Rs.2.5 lakh was subsequently refunded to the complainant.
The police have urged citizens not to fall prey to fake RTO e-challan messages received via WhatsApp or SMS. They advised the public to verify such messages through official government portals and avoid clicking on suspicious links or sharing banking details online.
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