01 June,2026 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
The constable`s phone allegedly reset on its own, and when it restarted, all previously installed applications had disappeared from the device. Representational pic
A CISF constable posted at the force's office inside Mumbai's Mahim Police Colony allegedly lost nearly Rs 96,000 after his mobile phone suddenly reset and all the applications disappeared from the device, police said.
According to police officials, the 34-year-old constable who has been serving with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) since 2012 has been posted at the Mahim unit for the past eight years. He was on duty at the CISF office located within the Mahim Police Colony on the afternoon of May 30 when the incident occurred.
The complainant told police that around 2 pm, the Oppo Reno handset he was using suddenly reset on its own. He further noticed that all the apps previously installed on the phone had been deleted.
After the device restarted, he downloaded the PhonePe application and checked his bank account balance.
To his shock, he found that Rs 95,668 had been debited from the account without his knowledge or authorisation.
The constable, a resident of ONGC Colony in Panvel, immediately approached the bank's Mahim branch and got the account blocked.
During inquiries, bank officials reportedly informed him that the money had been transferred through a transaction linked to a mobile number unknown to him. The constable subsequently contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and registered a complaint before approaching Mahim Police.
In his statement, the complainant alleged that an unknown person had fraudulently withdrawn the money from his bank account after his phone unexpectedly reset. He also sought action against the holder of the mobile number through which the transaction was allegedly carried out, as well as unidentified account holders who may have received the funds.
Based on the complaint, Mahim police registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and launched an investigation into the alleged cyber fraud.
Police are now probing how the victim's phone reset and whether the account was compromised through malware, remote access, unauthorised device control, or any other cyber intrusion.
A police officer said they are trying to ascertain how the victim's phone reset and whether it was remotely accessed before the money was siphoned off.
"We are analysing the transaction trail, beneficiary accounts, and the mobile number linked to the transfer. At this stage, all angles, including malware infection and unauthorised access to the device, are being examined," the officer said.
