WhatsApp Invitation Trap: Ahmedabad Trader Loses ₹6.18 Lakh After Downloading ‘GB Instagram’ APK
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 50-year-old wholesale grain trader from Ahmedabad's Kalol area allegedly lost ₹6.18 lakh after his mobile phone was compromised through files sent on WhatsApp in the guise of an invitation card.
The money was allegedly siphoned from his HDFC Bank account in two stages, beginning shortly after he downloaded and opened a file containing an invitation card and an APK application called ‘GB Instagram’.
Gandhinagar Range Cyber Crime Police have registered a case against an unidentified person under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act and launched an investigation.
Invitation Card Turns Into Cyber Trap
The complainant, Sanjaykumar Patel, a resident of Balaram Park in Kalol, runs a wholesale grain business near Ramji Mandir in Chhatral village.
According to his complaint, Patel received a WhatsApp file from an unknown number on the evening of September 27.
The file was titled ‘Invitation Card, GB Instagram APK File’.
Believing it to be an invitation, Patel allegedly downloaded and opened the file on his mobile phone.
The trap soon became apparent.
At around 4pm, he received a message stating that ₹2.76 lakh had been debited from his HDFC Bank account, despite him not carrying out any such transaction.
₹3.50 Lakh More Withdrawn The Next Day
After noticing the unauthorised transaction, Patel immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and reported the incident.
However, the fraud did not stop there.
On September 28, another ₹3.50 lakh was allegedly withdrawn from his account.
The two transactions took the total reported loss to ₹6.18 lakh.
Patel subsequently approached the Gandhinagar Range Cyber Crime Police Station and filed a complaint against the unidentified fraudster.
Police Begin Digital Trail Investigation
The Gandhinagar Range Cyber Crime Police have registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act, according to the complaint.
Police Inspector M.A. Humble is investigating the case.
Investigators are examining the mobile number from which the WhatsApp file was sent, the APK file, the compromised device and the bank transactions through which the money was allegedly transferred.
How ‘Invitation’ APK Files Can Hijack Phones
Cyber fraudsters are increasingly using WhatsApp to circulate malicious APK files disguised as wedding invitations, event cards or other social invitations.
The files may appear to be ordinary documents or images, but installing an APK can potentially give a malicious application extensive access to a device, depending on the permissions granted by the user.
Once a phone is compromised, fraudsters may attempt to access messages and other sensitive information, including banking alerts and OTPs, which can then be exploited to carry out unauthorised transactions.
The latest Kalol case highlights how a seemingly routine invitation received on WhatsApp allegedly turned into a costly cyber fraud within hours.
