A Delhi-based businessman has allegedly lost ₹6 lakh after cyber fraudsters persuaded him to download a fake application that gained access to his private data, and was subsequently used to threaten him with financial and other harm. Police have registered a cheating case and begun investigating the accounts and digital channels allegedly used in the fraud.
How It Started
The complainant, identified as Pradeep Kumar, is a resident of Shyampur in the Jalalpur area of Ambedkar Nagar who conducts business while living in Delhi. According to his complaint, Kumar received a message on his mobile phone while using it during his free time. He followed the message and downloaded an application, entering the requested information through the app without realising what he was actually exposing.
Private Data Accessed, Then Weaponised
According to the complaint, the cyber fraudsters obtained Kumar's private data through the application once he submitted the requested details. The accused then allegedly began threatening him with online financial harm and other consequences, using the stolen information as leverage.
Faced with these threats, Kumar allegedly transferred money to accounts controlled by the fraudsters. The transactions were made in three instalments of ₹2 lakh each, bringing the total alleged loss to ₹6 lakh. The incident came to light only after Kumar realised he had been targeted in a cyber fraud, prompting him to approach cybercrime authorities to report the matter.
Filing the Complaint
Kumar lodged a complaint through the cybercrime helpline number 1930 after discovering the alleged fraud. Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered in Lucknow under crime number zero. Since the case was connected to Ambedkar Nagar, it was subsequently transferred to the cyber police station there for further investigation. According to available details, the alleged fraud involved threatening the businessman after obtaining his data through the fake application, then persuading him to transfer money online in the three ₹2 lakh instalments described above.
Police Now Tracing the Money and Digital Trail
Cyber police station in-charge Inspector Randha Singh confirmed that the investigation into the case had begun. Police are examining the bank accounts allegedly used to receive the money, as well as other digital channels connected with the fraud, working to piece together how the operation was run.
Investigators are also working to identify and trace the people allegedly responsible for the scheme, examining the case through the financial and digital trail left by the transactions and the application used in the alleged fraud. Police efforts to reach the cyber fraudsters are continuing, as investigators scrutinise the accounts and other digital means allegedly used in this ₹6 lakh fraud.
FAQs
Q1. How did the fraudsters gain access to the businessman's private data?
Kumar received a message on his phone, followed the instructions to download an application, and entered requested personal details, which allowed the fraudsters to access his private data.
Q2. How much money did the businessman lose, and how was it transferred?
Kumar allegedly transferred a total of ₹6 lakh in three separate transactions of ₹2 lakh each, after being threatened with financial and other harm using his stolen data.
Q3. What action has been taken so far in this case?
An FIR was registered in Lucknow and later transferred to the Ambedkar Nagar cyber police station, where investigators are examining bank accounts and digital channels used in the alleged fraud.