Mumbai Police Bust APK Fraud Network; Six Arrested in Delhi and Jharkhand
The Mumbai crime branch has arrested six individuals from Jharkhand and Delhi for their alleged involvement in a series of cyber frauds using malicious APK files. The accused are linked to 93 cases in Mumbai and over 3,000 cases across India, according to police officials.
DCP (cyber) Bajrang Bansode stated that the main accused, Arif Ansari (28) from Jharkhand, has a history of cyber crimes. He allegedly recruited Sajid Ali (29), a Delhi resident with a Master's in Computer Applications, to create the fraudulent APK files.
The scam involves sending victims fake receipts, such as gas bills or traffic challans, embedded with an APK file. Once the victim clicks on the file, it grants the fraudsters access to the victim's mobile phone and one-time passwords (OTPs), enabling them to drain bank accounts.
The arrests were made in coordinated raids based on intelligence gathered from multiple complaints. The police have recovered several devices and documents from the accused, which are being analyzed for further evidence.
Authorities urge citizens to avoid clicking on files or links from unknown senders and to verify any payment requests through official channels.
