NAGPUR: A 78-year-old resident of Vardhaman Nagar in Nagpur was allegedly cheated of ₹5.88 lakh after opening a suspicious APK file sent in the name of the mParivahan app, purportedly regarding a traffic e-challan for his vehicle. The fraud came to light after money was debited from the bank accounts of his son and two nephews.

According to the complaint filed by Subhash Diwanchand Jham, a resident of Vardhaman Nagar near Shri Radhe Building under Lakadganj police station limits, he received a message on October 11 from the mobile phone of his acquaintance, Sunil Agrawal, 65.

The message claimed that a traffic challan had been issued against his vehicle and contained an APK file bearing the name mParivahan. When Jham opened the file, no information appeared on the screen.

However, on October 22, Jham received bank transaction alerts informing him that a total of ₹5.88 lakh had been debited through multiple transactions from the bank accounts of his son and two nephews. The complainant stated that his mobile number was registered with the bank accounts associated with the family’s businesses, including his son’s garment shop and his nephews’ textile businesses.

The victim suspected that an unidentified cyber fraudster had used the malicious APK file to gain unauthorised access to the linked bank accounts and transfer the money.

Based on Jham’s complaint, Lakadganj police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The accused has not been identified, and further investigation is underway.

The incident highlights the risks associated with opening APK files received through unsolicited messages, particularly those impersonating official transport or traffic challan services.