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Pune Elder Defrauded Of Rs 24 Lakh After Opening WhatsApp APK File
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News18•15-10-2026, 13:06
Pune Elder Defrauded Of Rs 24 Lakh After Opening WhatsApp APK File
- •A 70-year-old vegetable vendor in Alandi received an RTO challan APK file on WhatsApp.
- •Downloading the file caused his phone to shut down, allowing cyber fraudsters to gain complete control over his device.
- •The fraudsters broke his Rs 70 lakh fixed deposit and siphoned off Rs 24,35,583 to various bank accounts.
- •Alandi police tracked and arrested two suspects, including the mastermind Vishnuprasad Prasad Verma and Vinod Etwari Mandal, from Jharkhand.
- •Authorities have strongly appealed to citizens never to download unknown APK files received on social media.
Key Questions Answered
The victim downloaded a fake RTO challan APK file sent to his WhatsApp, which allowed hackers to gain complete control of his mobile phone, break his Rs 70 lakh fixed deposit, and misappropriate Rs 24,35,583.
The Alandi police arrested two suspects from Giridih, Jharkhand: the mastermind Vishnuprasad Prasad Verma (25) and Vinod Etwari Mandal (42).
Vinod Mandal lured needy people who could not pay their credit card bills to acquire their cards, which the mastermind Vishnuprasad Verma then used to receive and withdraw the stolen money as cash.
