Hapur photo studio owner, his wife and employee lose money from six bank accounts; digital fraud active since June 2025
Hapur – A sophisticated case of cyber fraud has been reported from the Simbhaoli police station area of Hapur district, where cyber criminals drained ₹14 lakh from the bank accounts of a local photo studio operator, his wife and an employee. The fraudsters not only hacked their bank accounts but also reactivated two dormant credit cards and used them to transfer large sums of money.
The victim, Yatish Kumar, who runs a photo studio and a Jan Seva Kendra in Baksar village, discovered the financial breach only after several weeks, by which time the culprits had executed multiple unauthorized transactions with precision.
Email and UPI alerts stopped abruptly — a warning sign that went unnoticed
According to Yatish, he had stopped receiving emails, OTP notifications and payment alerts on platforms like PhonePe and Google Pay for several days. Initially, he assumed this to be a temporary technical issue. However, when the notifications completely ceased, he decided to verify the matter with his bank.
At the bank, he was shocked to learn that numerous suspicious transactions had been taking place in his accounts over the past several days. On reviewing his statements, he found multiple withdrawals and transfers that he had never authorized. Bank officials informed him that his digital banking profile had been tampered with, allowing the scammers to access and control several linked accounts.
Fraud began in June 2025, operated by a well-planned cyber network
Bank sources confirmed that the fraudulent activity dated back to June 4, 2025. The cyber criminals had systematically gained access to two of Yatish’s bank accounts and three accounts held by his wife, Pooja Goyal. Large sums were transferred from these accounts into various other bank accounts, most of which were suspected to be mule or shell accounts.
In a startling development, the fraudsters also managed to reactivate two dormant credit cards belonging to Yatish and his wife. Once reactivated, these cards were used to withdraw and transfer additional funds, pushing the total financial loss even higher.
Employee’s account also compromised; total loss reaches ₹14 lakh
The cyber attack did not stop with the family. The scammers also breached the bank account of Kamal Kumar, an employee at Yatish’s studio. Several unauthorized withdrawals were made from his account as well.
By the time the fraud came to light, close to ₹14 lakh had been siphoned off from the six compromised accounts. The coordinated nature of the fraud, the manipulation of digital banking access, and the revival of dormant credit cards suggest the involvement of a technically skilled cybercrime syndicate.
Complaint filed at Cyber Police Station; technical investigation underway
Upon discovering the fraud, Yatish immediately approached the Cyber Police Station. He submitted transaction details, bank statements and digital evidence pertaining to the unauthorized access.
Based on his complaint, police registered a case against unknown cyber criminals.
Cyber Police Station in-charge Nafees Ahmed said:
“A case has been registered and a detailed technical investigation is underway. Our digital forensics team is tracking the transaction trail. The accused will be arrested soon.”
Spike in digital fraud cases prompts heightened police monitoring
Hapur and nearby regions have witnessed a noticeable rise in cyber fraud cases in recent months. Police teams are now closely monitoring suspicious digital activity and advising residents to stay alert to sudden changes in email access, UPI alerts, or banking notifications — signs that could indicate the early stages of a cyber attack.
