Bhubaneswar, July 28 (UDN): A Bhubaneswar resident lost ₹2.91 lakh in a cyber fraud after downloading a fake LPG gas booking application from a social media platform, prompting police to caution the public against using unverified mobile apps for online services.
The victim, identified as Rajesh Bose of Bapuji Nagar, was searching online for an LPG cylinder booking application when he came across a mobile app shared on social media. Believing it to be genuine, he downloaded and installed the application on his smartphone.
According to the complaint, soon after installing the app, the fraudsters allegedly gained unauthorised access to his banking details. On May 18, multiple transactions were carried out from his bank account, resulting in the loss of ₹2,91,000. The victim became aware of the fraud only after receiving a series of debit alerts on his phone.
Bose subsequently lodged a complaint with the Cyber Police Station in Bhubaneswar, following which an investigation was launched.
During the preliminary probe, investigators found that the stolen money had been withdrawn from an ATM in Assam, indicating the possible involvement of an inter-state cyber fraud network. Police are analysing the digital trail and CCTV footage to identify those responsible.
The investigation is continuing, and efforts are underway to trace the accused and recover the defrauded amount.
Police have advised citizens to download mobile applications only from official websites or authorised app stores and to verify their authenticity before entering personal or banking information. They also urged people never to share confidential details such as OTPs, PINs or passwords through unknown applications or links.
Victims of cyber fraud have been advised to report incidents immediately by calling the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or by filing a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to enable prompt action.
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