Retired DRDO scientist defrauded of ₹40 lakh via malicious WhatsApp APK scam in Delhi, leading to arrests in Jharkhand and Rajasthan

Summary

A retired DRDO scientist in Delhi was defrauded of Rs 40 lakh after falling victim to a cyber scam involving a malicious application. The victim received a suspicious phone number while searching for IT company customer support and called it, after which he received an APK file on WhatsApp requiring sensitive financial details. Scammers used the stolen banking credentials to access the victim’s account for seven days and siphon the funds. The fraud was traced to cybercrime hotspots in Deoghar and Jamtara in Jharkhand, and the Mewat region in Rajasthan and Haryana. A raid led to the arrest of four individuals, including the mastermind Iqbal Ansari from Deoghar and others from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.