Fraudsters hacked into phones after victims downloaded APK files. Police appealed to people to download apps only from official stores such as Google Play or the Apple App Store. The image is used for representative purposes only.
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Three residents from different parts of Hyderabad were collectively duped of over ₹4.85 lakh between September 16 and 20, 2025 after installing malicious APK files on their mobile devices, that enabled fraudsters to access their bank accounts.
The first victim, a 47-year-old from Musheerabad, lost ₹1.82 lakh from his HDFC Bank account after his phone was compromised by an application named “RTO-E_CHALLAN.APK”. A second victim, aged 54 and residing in Chudi Bazar, lost ₹1 lakh from his Punjab National Bank account through three unauthorised transactions, following the installation of a similar fraudulent ‘challan’ APK file.
The third victim, a 34-year-old from Bholakpur, reported unauthorised withdrawals totalling ₹2,03,873 from his Central Bank of India account after malicious apps, including “Court Order R.T.O. APK” and “PM Kissan APK”, were found on his device. In all cases, the victims’ mobile phones were hacked, one-time passwords (OTPs) were misused, and sensitive banking data stolen.
Following the cases, the cyber crimes wing of the Hyderabad police has requested public to exercise caution and avoid downloading APK files received via SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or social media links, stressing that apps should only be installed from official stores such as Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Phone numbers to complaint about cybercrimes
Police are advising that in the event of suspected financial fraud, victims must immediately contact the 1930 helpline or report the incident at www.cybercrime.gov.in. For urgent assistance, individuals may also call or WhatsApp 8712665171.
Published – September 24, 2025 05:26 pm IST
