Businessman Loses Rs 9.71 Lakh After Installing Fake RTO Challan App

Unidentified cyber criminals allegedly siphoned off Rs 9.71 lakh from a businessman’s bank account by sending him a malicious mobile application disguised as an RTO challan, a Mumbai Police official said on Tuesday.

According to Bangur Nagar Police, the victim, a chemical businessman based in Goregaon, noticed three unauthorised transactions from his bank account last month. Despite the large amount being debited, he did not receive any SMS alerts or email notifications from the bank.

During the investigation, police found that the victim had received a file named "RTO Challan.apk" on WhatsApp. The file was allegedly sent from a number posing as one of his customers, an official said.

As soon as the businessman installed the application, the hackers gained complete remote access to his mobile phone. Using this access, the accused operated his banking applications and transferred the money to unknown accounts in two banks.

Police have registered a case against unknown persons and are conducting a detailed investigation based on WhatsApp screenshots and bank statements, the official added.