Ahmedabad: A 48-year-old loan agent from Thaltej lost Rs 11.25 lakh from his and his wife’s bank accounts after fraudsters allegedly gained access to his mobile through a fake ‘traffic challan APK file’ sent on WhatsApp, according to a cybercrime complaint filed on Saturday.Police said the complainant, a resident of Thaltej, received a WhatsApp message on Dec 12, 2025, from an unknown number containing a file titled “RTO Chalan.apk”. Believing it to be related to a traffic challan, he clicked on the file before closing it.Soon after, friends informed him that the same file was being forwarded to them from his WhatsApp account. His wife also received the file from his number. At the time, he was unaware that his phone had allegedly been compromised.According to the complaint, on Dec 25, he began receiving OTPs and debit alerts linked to transactions from his bank account. He immediately contacted 1930, the national cybercrime helpline, and later approached his bank. During inquiries, he learned that his wife’s account was also linked to the same mobile number and had been targeted as well.Investigators said funds were transferred through multiple digital payment modes, including IMPS, UPI and CBDC transactions. The total loss reported by the family was Rs 11.2 lakh.Cybercrime officials suspect that the APK file functioned as malware, enabling fraudsters to access the victim’s device and banking credentials. The stolen funds were allegedly routed through multiple accounts after being transferred from the couple’s bank accounts.Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against unidentified persons for cheating, unauthorised access to a computer resource and related offences under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
