In a series of alarming incidents between September 16 and 20, 2025, three Hyderabad residents were collectively defrauded of over ₹4.85 lakh. The victims fell prey to cybercriminals after unwittingly installing malicious APK files on their mobile phones, which subsequently allowed fraudsters to gain unauthorized access to their bank accounts. This highlights the growing threat of sophisticated cyber scams targeting unsuspecting individuals.
One victim, a 47-year-old from Musheerabad, saw ₹1.82 lakh vanish from his HDFC Bank account after his device was compromised by an application disguised as “RTO-E_CHALLAN.APK”. Similarly, a 54-year-old from Chudi Bazar lost ₹1 lakh through three unauthorized transactions from his Punjab National Bank account, following the installation of a fraudulent ‘challan’ APK file.
The third individual affected, a 34-year-old from Bholakpur, reported a total loss of ₹2,03,873 from his Central Bank of India account. This occurred after his phone was infected with malicious applications, including “Court Order R.T.O. APK” and “PM Kissan APK”. In each of these cases, the fraudsters successfully hacked into the victims’ mobile phones, bypassed one-time passwords (OTPs), and stole crucial banking information.
Responding to these incidents, the cybercrime unit of the Hyderabad police has issued an urgent public advisory. They strongly recommend that citizens exercise extreme caution and refrain from downloading any APK files received via unverified sources such as SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or social media links. The police emphasize that all applications should exclusively be downloaded from official and trusted platforms like Google Play Store or the Apple App Store to ensure mobile security.
How to Report Cybercrimes
The police urge anyone who suspects they have been a victim of financial fraud to immediately contact the national helpline 1930 or file a report online at www.cybercrime.gov.in. For more immediate assistance, individuals can also reach out via call or WhatsApp at 8712665171.