CHANDIGARH 12 Aug : Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police have arrested a 23-year-old man from Jharkhand’s Jamtara in connection with an alleged cyber-fraud in which a victim lost around ₹6 lakh after downloading a malicious APK sent in the name of Adani Gas, officials said.
The accused, identified as Bimal Kumar Mandal alias Vidur, was arrested during a raid in Jamtara in connection with FIR No. 81, registered on June 15 at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Sector 17, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to police, the victim was contacted through WhatsApp and falsely informed that his Adani Gas connection would be disconnected over non-payment of the previous month’s bill. The victim was allegedly persuaded to download an APK application to update or pay the bill.
The application allegedly compromised the victim’s mobile phone, following which unauthorised transactions were carried out through debit cards, credit cards and UPI, causing a financial loss of approximately ₹6 lakh, police said.
During the investigation, police recovered 10 mobile phones from Mandal. The devices allegedly contained Adani Gas customer data and malicious APK files and were used to contact potential victims through calls and WhatsApp messages.
Police said Mandal allegedly obtained customer data and malicious APK files from another person through Telegram. He then allegedly targeted Adani Gas consumers by claiming that their bills were pending or their connections required updating before sending the malicious APK files.
Investigators have also raised suspicion about the possible involvement of an insider employee of Adani Gas, who may have supplied customer data to the alleged fraud network. Police said the allegation is being investigated.
According to police, the fraudulently obtained money was allegedly transferred to other members of the network through bank accounts, wallets and other channels.
The arrest comes amid a series of similar fake Adani Gas bill APK frauds in Chandigarh. Police said seven such cases were registered within a week, with victims collectively losing more than ₹14.7 lakh.
“The victim was induced to download an APK application, which resulted in his mobile device being compromised,” police said.
The accused was initially taken on police remand for five days and was subsequently sent to judicial custody. Further investigation is under way to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the cyber-fraud network.
Police have advised consumers not to install APK files received through WhatsApp, SMS or email, even if they carry the name or logo of a known utility provider. Consumers have also been advised to verify bills through official channels and never share OTPs, PINs, card details or banking credentials.
Victims of cyber-financial fraud should immediately report the transaction on 1930 and inform the Cyber Crime Police to facilitate efforts to block or freeze the funds.
