A 67-year-old medical practitioner in Ahmedabad was duped of 4.51 lakh rupees after a cyber fraudster posing as a gas utility executive threatened to disconnect his household supply over an alleged unpaid bill. The incident occurred after the complainant received an unsolicited WhatsApp call directing him to settle a nominal outstanding amount to avoid disconnection. Narol police have registered a criminal case under the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, initiating a formal probe into the digital paper trail left by the perpetrators.
Fraudster Used Threat of Supply Cut to Create Panic
The victim, identified as Prakashbhai Darji, resides at Prerna Tenament on Isanpur-Vatva Road and operates a clinic in the Isanpur locality of the city. According to the complaint, he was at his residence on the morning of October 4, 2026, when an unidentified caller contacted him via WhatsApp. The caller claimed that an unpaid Adani Gas bill remained pending against his connection and warned that the domestic line would be cut immediately if the dues were not settled on the spot.
To amplify psychological pressure, the caller warned the doctor that he would face a three-month waiting period before obtaining any fresh gas connection. Despite Darji maintaining that he owed no dues, the caller insisted that an amount of 13 rupees was outstanding. To manufacture authenticity, the fraudster sent an official-looking notice displaying the Adani Gas corporate emblem directly over WhatsApp, accompanied by an Android Application Package file that the caller claimed was essential to complete the nominal transaction.
Phone Screen Froze Following Installation of Malicious File
The caller instructed the doctor to remain on the line while opening the downloaded application and submitting his account credentials. Acting under duress, Darji installed the received APK file and entered his gas consumer number alongside confidential details of his Bank of Baroda debit card. Immediately after these details were submitted, the mobile handset became unresponsive and remained entirely frozen for an interval ranging between one and a half to two hours.
Realising that the device had been compromised, Darji visited a nearby automated teller machine to examine his account activity. Upon accessing his statement, he discovered that unauthorized entities had conducted multiple back-to-back fund transfers, emptying 4.51 lakh rupees from his bank balance. Police investigators believe the malicious application was designed to siphon financial credentials and intercept authentication codes while the device remained temporarily disabled.
NarPolice Launch Inquiry via Cybercrime Channelol
Following the discovery of the financial loss, the doctor submitted an initial report through the national cybercrime reporting helpline, 1930. The formal registration of the first information report at Narol police station followed, bringing relevant cybercrime and criminal provisions into effect. Investigating teams are now examining the originating communication channels, the caller details, the forged corporate notice, and the software structure of the malicious file.
Detectives are reviewing bank transaction logs to determine the immediate destination accounts and identify the intermediate digital wallets or mule networks used to distribute the stolen capital. Police authorities emphasised that legitimate utility providers never require consumers to download independent third-party mobile files through messaging applications. Members of the public have been advised to verify any pending bills solely through authorized utility portals, to avoid downloading software sent by unknown contacts, and to report suspicious unauthorized debits promptly to law enforcement and financial institutions.
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