A 60-year-old shopkeeper from Mira Road allegedly lost ₹2.22 lakh from his bank account despite receiving no suspicious phone call, sharing no OTP and clicking no suspicious link, prompting police to investigate how the transactions were carried out.
The victim runs a stationery shop in the Shanti Nagar area of Mira Road. According to the information available, ₹2,22,800 was withdrawn from his bank account between August 7 and August 9. The loss came to his attention only after his son checked SMS messages received on the victim’s mobile phone and noticed that the account balance had fallen.
No OTP, Password or UPI Transaction Shared
The victim told police that he had not carried out any UPI transaction during the period in question. He also said he had not received a phone call from an unknown person, shared an OTP or password with anyone, or made changes to his bank account information.
The absence of these commonly reported actions has raised questions over how access to the account was obtained. Police suspect that the fraudsters may have gained control of the victim’s mobile phone through a suspicious application file or link.
Investigators are examining whether banking or UPI-related information stored on the device was accessed and subsequently used to withdraw money from the account.
₹2.22 Lakh Withdrawn Between August 7 and 9
The alleged fraudulent transactions took place over a three-day period from August 7 to August 9. The victim became aware of the loss after his son reviewed the transaction-related SMS messages on his phone.
After discovering that ₹2.22 lakh had been withdrawn, the matter was reported to police. A cheating case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered against an unidentified person at Naya Nagar police station.
Police and the cyber cell have started examining the UPI IDs linked to the transactions as well as the bank accounts associated with the movement of the money.
Police Probe Possible Mobile Access
Investigators suspect that the fraudsters may have gained control over the victim’s phone after obtaining access through a suspicious app file or link. Police are examining the possibility that banking or UPI information on the device was accessed remotely and used to carry out the transactions.
The cyber fraudster also allegedly lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal after the incident. Police are now tracing the digital and financial trail connected with the transactions.
The case has also prompted police to examine a method of cyber fraud in which money may be withdrawn without victims knowingly sharing an OTP or responding to a fraudulent call. Authorities have advised victims of cyber fraud to approach the nearest police station promptly and report incidents through the cybercrime helpline 1930.
