Nagpur: A 37-year-old man from Sonegaon allegedly lost nearly ₹8 lakh in a sophisticated cyber fraud after contacting what he believed was the official customer care service for a faulty bathroom tap. Sonegaon Police have registered a case against an unidentified cyber fraudster under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Anil Rameshbhai Dholariya (37), a resident of Flat No. 402, Akhilesh Shankul Apartment, Perfect Housing Society near Panase Layout Last Bus Stop, Sonegaon, works with Shakti Buildcon.
Police said the incident began after the complainant’s bathroom tap developed a fault. On July 15, 2026, he searched online and contacted what appeared to be the customer care number of the tap manufacturer to register a service request.
Soon after, he received a call from a person identifying himself as Suresh Roy from mobile number 9234302756, who assured him that the company’s engineer would visit his home for repairs.
Later, a man identified as Ajay Vitthalrao Kathalkar (mobile number 8421785752) visited the complainant’s residence, repaired the tap, and charged ₹2,800, which the complainant paid in cash.
After the repair, Suresh Roy allegedly called again and asked whether the work had been completed. When the complainant informed him that he had already paid ₹2,800, the caller reportedly said the payment should not have been made directly and promised to arrange a refund. He then asked the complainant to send his customer ID and a WhatsApp photo of the payment details.
Believing the caller to be genuine, the complainant shared the requested information via WhatsApp.
On the night of July 21, 2026, between 9 pm and 2 am, the complainant received eight OTP messages on his mobile phone. He later discovered that ₹7,99,058.82 had been debited from his Union Bank of India, Telecom Nagar Branch account through multiple unauthorised online transactions.
The complainant alleged that the unidentified cyber fraudster hacked his mobile phone and fraudulently transferred money from his bank account, causing him a financial loss of ₹7,99,058.82.
Based on the complaint, Sonegaon Police have registered Crime No. 152/2026 under Section 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, along with other applicable provisions. Police have launched an investigation to trace the cyber fraudsters.
