Ahmedabad woman duped of ₹11 lakh in fake ‘RTO e-challan’ cyber fraud

An Ahmedabad-based businesswoman has complained to the city Cyber Crime Branch, alleging that she and her husband were defrauded of over ₹11.7 lakh after unknowingly downloading a malicious mobile application disguised as an 'RTO e-challan' app.

The complainant, Khushnum Khambhata (48), a resident of Vastrapur Lake, received a message on July 13 on her husband’s mobile phone from an unknown WhatsApp number. The message contained an APK file named RTO e-Challan500.apk, claiming to be related to traffic fines.

Khambhata told police that the application was forwarded to the family’s WhatsApp group. Since her sons’ iPhones did not support the file, she installed it on her Android device. The app asked for personal details, including her name and date of birth, after which her phone began malfunctioning and calls stopped coming through.

The following day, on contacting Vodafone customer care, she was informed that her mobile number had been call-forwarded to another number without her knowledge. Soon after, she discovered that large sums had been siphoned off from her HDFC Bank savings and current accounts, as well as her husband’s account. Between July 11 and 14, multiple unauthorised transactions ranging from ₹98,750 to ₹3 lakh were carried out, amounting to a total fraud of ₹11.7 lakh.

The fraudsters gained access by stealing her credentials and one-time passwords (OTPs) through the malicious application, enabling them to transfer funds to unknown accounts. The complainant has also submitted the APK file and a digital certificate under Section of the Indian Evidence Act as evidence.

Police said an offence has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and the Information Technology Act, and further investigation is being conducted by the Cyber Crime Branch officials. “The fraudsters used a sophisticated APK-based malware attack disguised as an official e-challan app. We are tracing the money trail and the technical footprint of the accused,” a senior official said.