Ahmedabad: Retired Railway Inspector, 79, Loses ₹5 Lakh After Clicking Fake BoB Pension Card Ad
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 79-year-old retired railway official from Ahmedabad’s Chandkheda allegedly lost ₹5 lakh after clicking on a Facebook advertisement for a purported Bank of Baroda pensioners’ card. Cyber fraudsters allegedly tricked him into downloading an APK file on WhatsApp, collected his personal and banking details, and siphoned off the money through multiple transactions.
The victim, Arunkumar Satyaprakash Puri, who retired as a Chief Ticket Inspector (CTI) in 2007, has lodged a complaint with the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police. The accused allegedly threatened him with a monthly penalty of ₹9,600 if he cancelled the card, making him fear the financial consequences of withdrawing his application.
Fake Pension Card Advertisement Leads to WhatsApp APK
According to the complaint, Puri came across a Facebook advertisement titled ‘BOB Bank Senior Citizen Pensioners Card’ while browsing the platform at home on October 18.
After he clicked on the advertisement, an unknown number contacted him on WhatsApp and sent an APK file. The file opened a form seeking personal information, including his name, address, bank-registered mobile number, debit card details, Aadhaar number and PAN details.
Puri entered the requested information, allegedly allowing the fraudsters to obtain sensitive personal and financial data.
Fraudsters Threaten ₹9,600 Monthly Penalty
The complaint states that Puri subsequently received a video call from an unknown number. The caller claimed that his pension card was ready and asked him to provide his bank account number so the card could be delivered to his home.
Growing suspicious, Puri refused to share the account number and said he no longer wanted the card.
The caller allegedly warned him that cancelling the card would result in a penalty of ₹9,600 being deducted from his bank account every month. Fearing the consequences, Puri asked for the card to be sent to his bank branch in Kalol instead.
₹5 Lakh Debited Through Multiple Transactions
On October 19, Puri received notifications indicating that ₹5 lakh had been debited from his Bank of Baroda account through multiple transactions. The transactions were reportedly shown as payments towards credit card bills, school fees and monthly subscriptions.
After visiting the bank and confirming that the money had been withdrawn, he contacted the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 and lodged a complaint.
Cyber Crime Police Begin Investigation
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway.
The case highlights how fraudsters can exploit the trust of senior citizens through advertisements promising banking or pension-related benefits, using malicious APK files and threats to obtain financial information and facilitate unauthorised transactions.
