The Property Cell of Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a 36-year-old software developer in Madhya Pradesh. He is accused of creating and selling fake APK files for cybercriminals. According to information that emerged on 5 October, police claim the accused created a total of 2,805 fake APK files, which were used to defraud 9,673 people in different parts of the country. The accused had dropped out of his B.Tech course. According to Aaj Tak, he was carrying out this activity from Indore.
Police currently estimate the losses linked to these files at around Rs 15.75 crore. Aaj Tak quoted police as saying the total could reach Rs 150 crore or more. The investigation is continuing.
An elderly man’s complaint led to the case
The case began with an incident on 13 August. A 72-year-old man in the Byculla police station area received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be a bank officer and offered to arrange a senior citizen card for him. An APK file named ‘Senior Citizen Card Verification’ was then sent to him on WhatsApp. The man entered his personal information and debit card details into it, after which Rs 5.62 lakh immediately disappeared from his account.
After a case was registered at Byculla police station, the investigation was handed over to the Crime Branch. According to Amar Ujala, DCP Raj Tilak Raushan said technical analysis of the APK file used in the offence led police to the accused. During a search of his office, police seized three mobile phones, three hard disks, a CPU, a pen drive and a Wi-Fi router. The accused has been booked under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act.
Police say the files created by the accused were sent to people under names such as pension card verification, life certificate, RTO challan and credit card update, to make them appear to be government or banking services. He is also accused of providing technical support to fraudsters, for which he had rented servers. According to police, he initially set up a business developing apps and websites, but entered this activity after coming into contact with a cybercriminal.
Police are now questioning the accused to identify those who bought the files from him. According to police, the network operates across the country. Avoid installing unknown APK files received through WhatsApp or SMS on your phone. In the event of cyber fraud, immediately contact the national cybercrime helpline on 1930.
Representative image. Photo: Alejandro Escamilla / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
