CBI ASI loses over Rs 69,000 to cyber cons

Chandigarh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has solved several cases of cyber crime, is now on the trail of miscreants who conned one of its own personnel. The Bureau registered a case after its assistant sub-inspector (ASI) alleged that he was duped of Rs 69,598 through unauthorised debit transactions from his bank account.The case was marked for inquiry to an inspector-rank officer of the CBI.In his complaint to the CBI, Pramod Kumar, an ASI and resident of Sector 29, Chandigarh, said received a WhatsApp message on Feb 8, 2026, containing an invitation card along with an APK file from a mobile number saved in his phone. He said while he knew the number, it was not on his WhatsApp account. Initially, he did not open the message.On Feb 11, 2026, the victim again received a similar WhatsApp invitation card message along with an APK file from the same number. The ASI said he viewed the message this time but did not know whether he had clicked on the file or not. Subsequently, Abhishek, son of Seema, whose phone number had been used to send the message, told him he had not sent it. He informed the complainant that his mobile phone was hacked and that he had no knowledge of the said message. Abhishek also informed Pramod that he had lodged a complaint with the cyber crime cell, Delhi, and contacted 112 to report the incident.Pramod Kumar alleged that two unauthorised debit transactions totalling Rs 69,598 were made by the unknown hacker from his bank account the same day, (February 11). However, the victim claimed that he did not receive any OTP on his registered mobile number for these transactions. He also did not receive any debit alert message from the bank regarding the transaction of Rs 49,999, but he did receive a message for the transaction of Rs 19,599.The next day, Pramod Kumar came to know that Rs 19,599 was transferred from his account to a person named Ramesh Halder and Rs 49,999 was transferred to a person named Mantu.Later, the complainant came to know that his mobile phone was compromised when he noticed similar fraudulent messages circulating on the WhatsApp accounts of people known to him.He filed a complaint with the CBI on Feb 17. After verifying the facts, CBI registered a case under relevant sections of BNS the IT Act against Mantu, Ramesh Haldar, and other unknown persons. MSID:: 128813716 413 |