05 October,2026 07:09 PM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
The investigation has so far resulted in the detection of 88 cases across India, officials said. Pic/Special Arrangement
The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 36-year-old software developer from Madhya Pradesh for allegedly developing malicious APK files that were sold to cybercrime gangs and used to target thousands of people across India, police said on Monday.
The investigation began after a 72-year-old Mumbai man was allegedly cheated of Rs 5.62 lakh through a fake senior citizen card verification process.
According to the police, the victim received a call on August 13 from a person claiming to be a senior manager of the Bank of India.
The caller allegedly told the senior citizen that he could help him obtain a senior citizen card. After gaining the victim's confidence, the accused allegedly sent him a WhatsApp file named "Senior Citizen Card Verification.apk".
The victim was asked to enter his personal details and debit card information into the application. Soon after, Rs 5.62 lakh was allegedly siphoned off from his bank account.
A case was registered at Byculla police station under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
The investigation was later transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.
During the investigation, Crime Branch officers carried out a technical analysis of the malicious APK file.
The probe allegedly led them to the 36-year-old software developer in Madhya Pradesh.
Crime Branch officials subsequently raided his office and seized a pen drive, CPU, three hard disks, a Wi-Fi router and three mobile phones.
Preliminary analysis of the seized material showed that the accused was allegedly using servers obtained from different service providers and companies, police said.
According to the Crime Branch, the investigation revealed that the accused had allegedly developed and sold 2,805 malicious APK files to different cybercrime gangs.
Police said the applications were allegedly used to target 9,673 people across India, with the fraud amount estimated at around Rs 15.77 crore.
The APK files were allegedly designed to deceive victims into sharing sensitive personal and banking information, which could then be used by cybercrime networks to carry out financial fraud.
Police said complaints from 1,074 victims across India were registered through the national cybercrime helpline 1930.
Of these, 143 complaints were from Maharashtra and 36 from Mumbai, according to the Crime Branch.
The investigation has so far resulted in the detection of 88 cases across India, including eight cases in Maharashtra and five in Mumbai, officials said.
The Crime Branch is now investigating the cybercrime gangs that allegedly purchased and used the malicious APK files.
Investigators are also examining the accused's digital and financial links to identify other people involved in the alleged network and determine the full extent of the fraud.
Police are continuing to analyse the seized electronic devices and server-related information as part of the investigation.
