Navi Mumbai | In a growing wave of online fraud cases, cybercriminals targeted a 54-year-old woman and cheated her of nearly ₹4.6 lakh in the name of updating her gas bill. The accused allegedly posed as officials from a gas company and contacted the woman through WhatsApp, trapping her into giving access to her mobile phone.
The incident reportedly took place on February 18 when the woman, a resident of Kharghar, received a WhatsApp message claiming that her PNG gas bill was not updated. The message warned that her household gas supply would be disconnected within two hours if immediate action was not taken. The message also contained a name and mobile number, asking her to contact the person mentioned.
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When the woman called the provided number, the receiver claimed to be a senior official of the gas company. During the conversation, when she told him that her gas bill payment was already updated, the fraudster asked her to send a payment screenshot. Later, the fraudster sent an APK file link and instructed her to upload documents through it.
Falling into the trap of cybercriminals, the woman attempted to open the link and upload the details. During this process, the fraudsters gained remote access to her mobile phone. Within a short time, multiple unauthorized transactions were carried out from her bank account, and a total amount of ₹4.6 lakh was withdrawn in several stages. After receiving multiple bank alerts about money being debited, the woman immediately contacted her bank and was informed that she had become a victim of cyber fraud.
According to police officials, incidents involving fake messages related to gas bills or utility services have been rising recently. Cyber fraudsters usually use threatening language to pressure consumers into sharing personal information quickly. Authorities have urged people to avoid clicking on unknown links and obtain information only through the official customer care channels of service provider companies.
In a similar incident last September, a 71-year-old man from the Kharghar-Koparkhairane area was targeted and cheated of ₹12 lakh. In that case too, fraudsters threatened to disconnect the PNG pipeline and persuaded the victim to update payment details. Police believe that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting elderly and less tech-savvy users.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that officials of any company never send APK files asking for payment or document uploads. If such messages are received, people should immediately contact the official customer care number of the concerned company and block suspicious links.
The administration has appealed to citizens not to trust unknown messages on social media or messaging platforms and not to share banking credentials with anyone. Police are conducting technical investigations and making efforts to identify the accused. Officials stated that all necessary steps are being taken to expose the cyber fraud network soon.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
