When a police constable in Versova received a text alert about an unfamiliar withdrawal, it marked the beginning of a case that underscores the growing scale of cyber fraud in India. What began as a routine notification quickly spiraled into a financial nightmare that left the officer facing a massive negative balance in his account.
A Routine Alert Turns Into a Crisis
On August 5, Constable Jadhav, 39, was startled when his phone buzzed with an automated text message. The alert informed him that ₹11,702 had been debited from his HDFC Bank account. Believing it to be a possible error or a small-scale fraud, he immediately rushed to the bank branch to investigate. It was there that the situation took a far more alarming turn.
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Loans Taken in His Name
Bank officials informed Jadhav that cybercriminals had penetrated his banking details and executed transactions far beyond the initial withdrawal. Using his credentials, the fraudsters had managed to avail two consumer loans worth a total of ₹1.3 lakh. The funds were not transferred in cash but were instead used to purchase mobile phones, showing the calculated way in which scammers convert fraudulent loans into tangible goods that can later be resold.
A Negative Balance for a Policeman
The financial toll was far heavier than Jadhav initially feared. Rather than losing only the small amount flagged by the alert, his account was discovered to be overdrawn. Records revealed that after the fraudulent loans and withdrawals, he was left staring at a negative balance of ₹9.6 lakh. For a serving policeman, whose work often involves investigating crimes of this very nature, the personal impact was both financially and emotionally devastating.
Fraud in the Heart of Mumbai’s Police Force
Attached to the Versova police station in Mumbai, Jadhav became the latest in a growing list of citizens targeted by cybercriminals. His case illustrates the sophistication of scams that continue to plague Indian banking customers, regardless of occupation or awareness. That a serving constable—tasked with maintaining law and order—could be stripped of his financial security underscores the vulnerability of even those trained to fight crime. Investigations into how the fraudsters accessed his personal details remain underway.