16 April,2026 10:00 PM IST | Mumbai | Abhitash Singh
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In a sophisticated heist that proves even the state's high-security headquarters is not immune to cybercrime, a 55-year-old section officer at Mantralaya was swindled of Rs 1.11 lakh. The scam unfolded not in a dark alley, but through a series of persistent phone calls and a malicious WhatsApp link sent to her while she was at her desk.
The ordeal began on March 27 for Madhura Manoj Tatkare, who works in the Housing Department at Mantralaya. While attending to her official duties, she received a call from a man identifying himself as "Shashikant Verma" from Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL). The caller claimed that her gas connection was on the verge of being disconnected due to an unpaid bill.
When Tatkare checked a file sent to her via WhatsApp titled "MGL GAS BILL Update.apk", she noticed the amount mentioned was just Rs 73. Despite her protests that her connection was new and that she had not yet received any bill, the caller insisted that the digital update was mandatory to avoid disconnection.
The trap turned out to be a classic malware scam. Under pressure from the caller, Tatkare followed instructions to navigate her phone settings and entered her consumer ID and debit card details into the fake application. The app appeared to be "loading," masking the backend theft occurring in real time while she was still on the call.
She realised something was wrong only after reaching her residence in Lalbaug. Upon checking her ICICI Bank account, she discovered that the supposed "MGL bill" had resulted in a massive financial loss.
Within just seven minutes - between 4:53 pm and 5:00 pm - three transactions of Rs 82,906, Rs 25,004, and Rs 3,500 were carried out, wiping her account almost entirely and leaving a balance of just Rs 224.
The Marine Drive Police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and personation, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
Speaking to Mid-Day about the progress of the investigation, Investigating Officer Arpanna Vhatkar from Marine Drive Police Station said, "This is a case of cyber fraud. So far, we have not obtained any concrete leads. Our team will also be sent to Gujarat to trace the suspect. The investigation is ongoing."
Police have booked the unidentified holders of mobile numbers 8837046645 and 9029298275 and are currently tracking the digital trail of the stolen funds.
