Man loses Rs 2.2 lakh in fake RTO challan cyberfraud

Mangaluru / Udupi: A 28-year-old man lodged a complaint at Surathkal police station after cyberfraudsters allegedly siphoned off Rs 2.2 lakh from his bank accounts through a fake RTO challan APK link sent on WhatsApp.

According to the complaint, the victim received an APK link on WhatsApp from a friend’s mobile number on April 24. The message displayed RTO Challan, prompting him to click on the link. After opening it, a page appeared asking him to enter his email ID, mobile number and UIDAI details.

After entering the requested information, the complainant noticed that his WhatsApp stopped functioning. On checking his phone, he found that his sim card had also become inactive and his UIDAI-linked services appeared blocked.

The complainant later approached the concerned offices and obtained a replacement sim card with the same mobile number, which he started using on the same day . However, on April 28 at 3.30pm, he began receiving SMS alerts about money being debited from his bank account. He immediately visited his bank branch, where officials informed him that fraudulent transactions had been carried out from his bank account.

According to the complaint, Rs 99,800 was transferred to a bank account through three separate transactions of Rs 8,000, Rs 45,900 and Rs 45,900.

In addition, another Rs 1.2 lakh was allegedly transferred to another account through four separate transactions of Rs 25,000, Rs 25,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000. In total, the fraudsters allegedly siphoned off Rs 2,24,800 from the complainant’s savings account. A case had been registered at Surathkal police station.

Man duped of Rs 2 lakh

A case of online investment fraud has been registered at Karkala Town police station after a man was allegedly cheated of Rs 2 lakh by an unidentified person who promised high returns through stock market investments.

According to police, an unidentified person contacted the complainant on Jan 23, and convinced him to invest money in the stock market by promising high profits and attractive returns. Believing the claims, the complainant transferred Rs 2 lakh from his bank account. However, the accused neither returned the invested amount nor provided any promised profits, allegedly cheating him through an online fraud scheme. Based on the complaint, a case has been registered at Karkala Town police station under Sections 66(D) of the IT Act and 318(4) of the BNS.