BENGALURU: Cybercriminals allegedly infiltrated the central government’s apprenticeship portal, redirecting stipend payments intended for six apprentice candidates by altering their bank account information. The fraud, targeting apprenticeshipindia.gov.in, under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, led to the illegal transfer of approximately Rs 1.46 lakh between January 3 and July 4.
The incident came to light following a complaint lodged by Arun Kumar D, CEO and Director of Cadmaxx Solution Education Trust in Vijayanagara, Bengaluru. The Cybercrime Police Station (West Division) registered a case on July 26 and launched an investigation under multiple provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
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Portal Meant for Empowerment Turned Into Gateway for Fraud
The portal is primarily used by young individuals to apply for apprenticeship opportunities, with stipends disbursed upon selection. Companies that engage apprentices are eligible for a 25% reimbursement of the stipend (up to Rs 1,500 per month per apprentice) through the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
According to the FIR, unknown individuals gained unauthorised access to the portal and tampered with the bank account details of six apprentices registered under Cadmaxx. The altered credentials caused the stipend funds to be redirected to four different bank accounts—HDFC Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), NSDL Payments Bank, and Axis Bank.
Police officials have invoked Sections 43, 66, and 66C of the IT Act, which deal with unauthorised access to computer systems and identity theft. Authorities are working to trace the digital and financial trail, focusing on IP logs and access records.
Police Examining Access Logs and Digital Footprint
Investigators have requested banking details of the accounts that received the diverted stipends. A senior police source mentioned that the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) may be brought into the probe depending on the findings from initial digital forensics.
Whether the breach resulted from external hacking or insider manipulation remains under investigation. The portal has not issued a public statement regarding any remedial steps or user advisories as of now.
The case underscores growing concerns about the vulnerability of government-managed digital platforms, especially those handling financial transactions involving public welfare schemes.