A mobile phone software update was followed by the disappearance of several applications and the alleged unauthorized withdrawal of around ₹1.60 lakh from a man’s bank account. Forty-year-old Memco resident and loading-rickshaw driver Diwansingh Kori has approached Shaherkotda police with a complaint. Police are investigating the account holders whose accounts allegedly received the money as well as other unidentified persons suspected to be involved.
Phone Stopped Working After Update
According to the complaint, Kori was at home on August 6 when his mobile phone suddenly started a software update. After the update, the phone switched off and could not be turned on again. As he was about to leave for a tempo-rickshaw booking, he sought help from his acquaintances Pushpendra Raghuvanshi and Aniket Chandravanshi to restart the device.
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The two used Kori’s Gmail ID and password to restart the phone. Kori then tried to open Google Pay because he needed to receive payment for a booking. He discovered that Google Pay and several other applications had disappeared from the phone.
Google Pay Reinstall Revealed Missing Money
Kori reinstalled Google Pay from the Play Store and used it to receive the booking payment. He later checked his bank balance and discovered that around ₹1.60 lakh had allegedly already been withdrawn from his account.
An examination of the transaction history revealed several transfers on different dates. According to the complaint, ₹6,000 and ₹54,000 were transferred on August 5 to an account identified in the transaction records as belonging to Shivani Ahirwar. Another ₹30,000 was transferred the same day to Shamim Ahmed through Paytm. A further ₹66,000 was transferred to Bharath N on August 6.
Money Sent to Multiple Accounts
After discovering that the money was missing, Kori immediately contacted the cybercrime helpline. During the subsequent inquiry, he was informed that ₹60,000 had been transferred to a Bank of India account, ₹66,000 to an Axis Bank account and ₹30,000 to a Paytm account.
Kori subsequently approached Shaherkotda police and lodged a complaint. Police are now examining the bank transactions, the account holders who allegedly received the funds and the role of unidentified persons who may have been involved in the transfers.
Police Probe Link With Software Update
Investigators are also trying to determine whether the software update and the disappearance of applications from Kori’s phone were directly connected to the alleged unauthorized transactions from his bank account. The exact method through which the transactions were carried out will be established during the investigation.
The420 Takeaway
The incident also highlights the importance of responding quickly when a mobile phone behaves unexpectedly. If banking or payment applications suddenly disappear, or a device shows unusual activity after an update, users should immediately check their bank and payment accounts and look for unfamiliar transactions. Keeping transaction alerts enabled and regularly monitoring account activity can also help identify unauthorized transfers at an early stage.
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