14 August,2026 07:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
The unauthorised transactions went on for several days. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK
A 72-year-old retired teacher from Bhandup was allegedly duped of Rs 5.85 lakh after a fraudster posing as a representative of Mahanagar Gas convinced him to install an APK application on his mobile phone. Following this, the accused drained his Union Bank of India pension account, with 64 unauthorised transactions carried out over 16 days.
According to the complainant, on July 25 at around 4 pm, the victim received a call from an unknown mobile number. The caller allegedly introduced himself as a representative of Mahanagar Gas Limited and spoke to the victim about a gas-related matter.
After gaining his confidence, the accused then sent an APK file/application to the victim's mobile phone and instructed him to download and install it. Trusting the caller, the victim followed the instructions. Once the APK was installed, some processes were carried out through the application on his phone.
>> Mahanagar Gas Limited does not ask customers to install APKs
>> Do not download APKs sent by unknown callers
>> Never share OTP, PIN, CVV, or bank details
>> Do not give unknown apps access to your phone
>> Verify any MGL-related call through the official channel
The bank statement recorded multiple withdrawals on July 25, followed by further transactions on July 26 and July 29. The siphoning continued on August 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9. The victim discovered the fraud on August 10. Upon checking his account, the victim learnt that several online transactions had been carried out without his permission and that a total of Rs 5.85 lakh had been taken from the account. On August 12, he approached the Bhandup police.
Cyber fraud helpline: Call 1930 immediately after a cyber fraud. Report the fraud on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
A police officer familiar with the matter said that the unauthorised transactions continued over several days. "Between July 25 and August 9, a total of 64 transactions were made from his account. Together, they amounted to R5,85,302," a police officer said.
