Ahmedabad: A 67-year-old accountant and his wife allegedly lost Rs 20 lakh from their bank accounts after he opened an APK file received on WhatsApp in the name of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), according to a complaint lodged with cybercrime authorities.The complainant stated that on Sept 10, he received an APK file from the mobile number of a person known to him. The message allegedly asked him to open the file to check whether his name had been included under the housing scheme. After opening it, nothing appeared on the screen, and he closed the file immediately.The fraud allegedly came to light on Sept 19 when two cheques issued from the complainant’s and his wife’s bank accounts were returned due to insufficient funds. On checking their banking apps, he found that only about Rs 10,000 remained in his account, while his wife’s account balance had dropped to around Rs 635.The complainant then contacted a friend whose Bank of India account was also linked to his mobile number, as the friend resides in the US and visits India occasionally. A subsequent inquiry at the bank revealed that money had been withdrawn from the friend’s account as well.According to the complaint, the APK file enabled fraudsters to gain access to all three bank accounts and transfer funds through IMPS transactions. The complainant’s son later reported the matter on the cybercrime helpline 1930 and formatted the mobile phone.Police have launched an investigation into the alleged cyberfraud and are tracing the transactions as well as the source of the APK file.
