Malad senior citizen duped of Rs 8.59 lakh in cyber fraud by fake gas company agents

Representational image. File pic

A case of cyber fraud has been registered at Dindoshi Police Station after a 75-year-old retired man from Malad East was allegedly cheated of Rs 8.59 lakh by unidentified fraudsters posing as representatives of a gas company.

According to police officials, the FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 66(a) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act.

The 75-year-old complainant, a resident of Mahendra Nagar, alleged in his complaint that the incident occurred on March 12, 2026, between 7:03 pm and 9:17 pm while he was at his residence.

"He received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number, where the sender impersonated officials of MGL Gas. The fraudster, using multiple WhatsApp numbers, convinced the victim that his gas connection required urgent updating. He was then sent a malicious APK file labelled as an MGL application.

Police said the victim was tricked into installing the file on his mobile phone. Once installed, the accused allegedly gained unauthorised access to his device and coerced both the complainant and his wife into entering sensitive banking details, including account and debit card information.

Using these details, the accused transferred a total amount of Rs 8.59 from the couple's bank accounts to multiple unknown accounts.

"The accused, currently unidentified, used WhatsApp numbers linked to the fraud and remains absconding. We have launched an investigation into the case and are tracing the digital trail of the suspects, the officer added.

The Dindoshi police have urged people, especially senior citizens, to remain cautious against such cyber frauds and avoid installing unknown applications or sharing banking details over messaging platforms.