Mumbai, Dec 02: A shocking case of cyber fraud has surfaced in Mumbai, where scammers allegedly hacked the WhatsApp account of a Chunabhatti-based businessman by sending him a photo of a woman, and siphoned off Rs 4.31 lakh from his bank account.
The Bhoiwada Police have registered a case against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act, and further investigation is underway.
Complainant Details
According to the FIR, the complainant, Sachin Siddharam Mane, 38, is a painting contractor and holds a savings account with Bank of Maharashtra’s Sewri branch. While he uses Google Pay for online transactions, he does not use internet banking.
Fraud Call and Suspicious Messages
On November 14, around 5 pm, Mane was travelling from Chunabhatti to Parel for a work-related visit when he received a call from an unknown number. The caller said, “I have sent you a girl’s photo. If you want it, send money.” Mane ignored the call and disconnected. Shortly after, he received a WhatsApp message containing a photo of a woman, followed by repeated phone calls, which he did not answer.
WhatsApp Hacked, OTP Flood, and Failed Help Attempts
Soon, multiple OTP messages began appearing on his phone, raising suspicion. Upon reaching Parel, Mane attempted to contact Bank of Maharashtra’s customer care. However, the call was abruptly disconnected with the response that the executive could not hear him. Subsequent attempts reached a busy line, so Mane stopped trying.
Unauthorised Transactions
Despite not sharing any OTP with anyone, Mane was shocked to discover that three transactions had been carried out within three minutes, debiting a total of Rs 4,31,162 from his account. He immediately approached the nearest police station. A preliminary check revealed that his WhatsApp account had been hacked.
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Police Complaint and Probe
Mane then contacted the national cyber helpline number 1930 and registered a complaint, followed by a formal written complaint at the Bhoiwada Police Station.
Police have begun probing the unidentified mobile number used in the fraud and are working to trace the perpetrators.
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