A Mumbai police constable fell victim to a sophisticated loan fraud after her mobile phone was hacked through an APK file, resulting in a loss of over Rs 12 lakh.
An unidentified fraudster allegedly hacked the mobile phone of a woman constable of Mumbai Police by sending an APK file and fraudulently availed a personal loan of Rs 12.46 lakh in her name through a bank, an official said on Monday.
Police registered a case on charges of cheating and other sections of the Information Technology Act.
The complainant, currently posted as a constable at Vikhroli police station in Mumbai, noticed that Rs 27,832 had been debited from her salary account. When she approached the bank for clarification, she was informed that the amount was an EMI for a personal loan issued in her name.
The constable denied taking any such loan, following which the fraud came to light.
As per the preliminary investigation, the victim had received an APK file link related to a traffic e-challan in a school WhatsApp group on January 18, which she opened accidentally, police said.
"Subsequently, her mobile phone was allegedly hacked and taken control of by the cyber fraudster. During this period, she did not receive any suspicious calls or messages, and even her new debit card stopped functioning," police said.
The accused allegedly secured a personal loan of Rs 12,46,781 in her name. The entire amount was transferred to multiple bank accounts on the same day. Between February and April, three EMIs amounting to Rs 78,590 were also debited from her account.
Upon discovering the fraud, the complainant approached the Vikhroli Police and lodged a complaint.