Bhopal/Narmadapuram, May 12 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Police has busted an inter-state cyber fraud gang involved in stealing money from bank accounts through malicious APK files and eSIM swapping, officials said on Tuesday.
Two accused — Umesh Das (30) and Uttam Kumar Das (23), both residents of Madhupur in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district — were arrested on May 7 and brought to Madhya Pradesh on May 11, police said.
According to police, the accused allegedly duped a villager from Narmadapuram district of Rs 3,09,917 by gaining remote access to his mobile phone and diverting banking alerts and one-time passwords through eSIM activation.
The case came to light after Chhotelal Kushwah (45), a resident of Doomar village under Banakhedi police station limits, lodged a complaint on March 17 stating that money had been fraudulently withdrawn online from his bank account.
Following the complaint, a Special Investigation Team was formed under the supervision of Narmadapuram Superintendent of Police Sai Krishna S. Thota.
Police said a technical investigation led the team to Jharkhand, where officers arrived on May 2 and conducted surveillance for four consecutive days before arresting the accused during a late-night raid on May 7.
“Displaying great prudence and working covertly, the police team maintained surveillance in the residential area of the accused for four consecutive days while operating in disguise,” a senior police official in the cyber department said while briefing the press in Bhopal on Tuesday.
According to the police investigation, the accused used to send APK files through social media platforms and messaging applications.
Once victims installed the files and granted permissions, the fraudsters gained access to SMS messages, one-time passwords, banking alerts, contact lists, and other data stored on the victims’ mobile phones.
Police said the gang later generated eSIMs linked to the victims’ mobile numbers, allowing one-time passwords and banking alerts to be redirected to the accused.
“Subsequently, the accused would generate an eSIM for the victim’s mobile number, causing one-time passwords and banking alerts linked to the bank account to be routed directly to them,” police said.
Mobile phones, ATM cards, and bank passbooks allegedly used in the crime were seized from the accused.
Police have advised people not to install APK files received from unknown sources and to avoid clicking on suspicious links.
Citizens have also been asked to immediately contact banks and mobile operators if mobile networks suddenly stop working or if they receive unauthorised eSIM activation alerts.
–IANS
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