Fake Wedding Invites and Telegram Stock Schemes Drain ₹2.10 Lakh in East Ahmedabad Cyber Scams
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Fake Wedding Invites and Telegram Stock Schemes Drain ₹2.10 Lakh in East Ahmedabad Cyber Scams
Two East Ahmedabad residents lost a combined ₹2.10 lakh in separate cyber fraud operations involving malicious mobile application files and fraudulent Telegram investment groups.
The incidents prompted immediate police investigations in Krishnanagar and Gomtipur after victims reported device hacking through WhatsApp attachments and stock market returns schemes.
Malicious APK File Clears Bank Account in Nikol
Nilesh Babubhai Bhuva, a 44-year-old electrician living in Srinath Park near Nikol Road, received a digital wedding invitation on 2 September via WhatsApp from his friend Jaysukhbhai's number. Unaware that the document was an Android Package (APK) file rather than a standard image or PDF, Bhuva opened the attachment.
The file granted fraudsters remote control over his smartphone and harvested his banking credentials. Consecutive debit alerts from Bank of India hit his phone the following afternoon:
- Initial Losses: Unauthorised transfers of ₹45,000, ₹16,000, ₹84,000, and ₹6,000 occurred in rapid succession.
- Account Freeze: Bhuva rushed to his local bank branch to lock the account, but hackers had already siphoned off ₹1.51 lakh.
- Police Action: Krishnanagar police registered a case under the Information Technology Act against unidentified operators following confirmation of the phone hack.
Account Assistant Targeted in Fake SEBI Investment Group
In Gomtipur, 24-year-old account assistant Sahil Kamleshbhai Rana lost ₹59,936 after engaging with a Telegram group promising high returns on stock market investments.
Rana contacted the channel administrator, identified as 'Jigha Bhai', on 12 September after viewing fabricated profit screenshots. The administrator promised a payout of ₹45,000 against a base investment of ₹10,000.
After Rana transferred an initial sum of ₹5,000 on 15 September, the scammer generated a fake invoice displaying a profit of ₹53,000 alongside a ₹14,000 commission fee. The fraudster subsequently extracted payments across multiple UPI IDs under various labels, including processing fees, withdrawal charges, and extra commissions.
Rana filed a formal complaint at Gomtipur police station after the operator blocked his profile when he requested his money back. Police have launched technical investigations into the payment receipts and Telegram account details.
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