Alert Constable Blocks Cyber Fraud, Saves ₹5 Lakh

Hyderabad: Constable N. Srikanth Naik, posted with the city cyber crime unit (CCCU), acted swiftly after a pensioner reported being duped while searching online for Punjab National Bank’s helpline number to submit his life certificate. The fraudsters had listed a fake contact number on Google and the pensioner fell for it. When the pensioner called the fraudulent number, the scamsters impersonated bank officials.

“The pensioner was told to install an APK application sent through WhatsApp under the pretext of verification. Once installed, the malicious app granted the fraudsters remote access to his phone,” said cyber crime DCP Dara Kavitha.

The fraudsters gained access to his internet banking credentials and carried out unauthorised transactions worth `10 lakh. The pensioner acted quickly and approached the police during the “golden hour”. Upon receiving the complaint constable Naik immediately reported the case to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), identified the fraudulent transactions, and alerted the payment gateway, through which the funds were being routed to a small finance bank.

The gateway’s nodal officer, Harshavardhan Rao, responded promptly and blocked `5 lakh — half of the defrauded amount. The money will be returned to the victim, Naik told Deccan Chronicle.

A detailed technical analysis revealed that the APK app had permission to read SMS and OTPs, allowing the fraudsters to bypass standard verification mechanisms. The criminals attempted to hijack the victim’s WhatsApp account to impersonate him and target his contacts.

“The fraudsters circulated the same malicious link in multiple groups to extend their network,” DCP Kavitha said, commending Naik’s timely response. “His presence of mind and immediate action helped save the victim’s money and prevented the fraud from spreading further.”