The Pune Police have registered three separate criminal cases after cybercriminals extracted lakhs of rupees from local residents using contrasting fraudulent schemes. In one major operation, a tailoring business owner was scammed under the guise of an elite military supply contract. Simultaneously, tech-enabled syndicates deployed malicious Android Package Kit (APK) files masked as regional traffic department notifications to compromise mobile devices and siphon substantial savings from two other victims in separate neighborhoods. The multi-jurisdictional investigations have prompted zonal cyber cells to launch an expansive digital tracking operation to trace the destination accounts where the siphoned capital was layered.
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The Military Procurement Bait at Lashkar Station
The financial fraud targeting the tailoring merchant originated when perpetrators contacted the business owner under a fabricated identity, claiming to be high-ranking procurement officers representing the Indian Armed Forces. The fraudsters offered a highly lucrative corporate contract to stitch a massive consignment of military uniforms, utilizing institutional authority markers to neutralize any initial commercial hesitation. To cement the illusion of legitimacy and finalize the non-existent uniform distribution layout, the callers insisted that the businessman execute a series of advance verification payments.
Relying on the prestige of the defense contract, the victim completed multiple transaction cycles, transferring an aggregate sum of ₹5 lakh into various proxy accounts managed by the network. The operation resulted in an immediate blackout once the funds cleared, forcing the businessman to approach the Lashkar police station to lodge a formal First Information Report (FIR).
The Malicious RTO Challan Pipeline in Anandnagar
A significantly larger financial extraction was executed against a 54-year-old purchase manager residing in the Anandnagar area on Sinhagad Road. The victim’s smartphone was compromised after he clicked a deceptive link that downloaded a malicious application under the pretext of reviewing a pending Regional Transport Office (RTO) traffic e-challan penalty. The hidden malware quietly gained administrative access to his operating system, allowing remote operators to monitor inputs and view incoming financial communications.
The underlying credit card data and banking logs were harvested seamlessly by the cybercriminals to execute 14 consecutive unauthorized transactions in a single day. Even though the manager was using his mobile device for a voice call and did not share any explicit authentication data, the embedded background application permitted the fraudsters to bypass security barriers and siphon exactly ₹11,66,000 from his lines of credit.
Parallel Identity Harvesting and Device Safety Protocols
An identical technical compromise unfolded almost simultaneously in the Kharadi locality, where a 41-year-old individual fell prey to an indistinguishable counterfeit traffic fine message. The malicious file executed its automated script upon installation, giving offshore hackers full exposure to private transaction platforms and resulting in a sudden extraction of ₹3,50,000 from the victim’s account reserves. Local police teams at both the Sinhagad Road and Kharadi stations have mobilized specialized cyber analysts to dissect the application packages and isolate the host servers utilized to capture the banking data.
Regional cybersecurity units emphasize that official transport departments and law enforcement groups never distribute applications via direct messaging platforms or demand penalty clearances through external file downloads. Citizens must enforce strict device restrictions, explicitly blocking the installation of software packages from unverified external sources outside official application stores. If an individual notices unprompted security codes arriving on their device or realizes their banking dashboard has been altered, they are urged to instantly disconnect their network connection and flag the incident to the national cybercrime reporting line
