Hyderabad Cybercrime cops recover Rs 6.25 lakh in two APK fraud cases

Hyderabad Cybercrime Police recovered nearly Rs 6.20 lakh in two cases of online fraud after victims reported within the ‘golden hour’. Fake APKs accessed OTPs and credit card details. Officials urged citizens to use official app stores and report suspicious transactions

Hyderabad: In two swift operations, the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police stopped and reversed fraudulent online transactions of nearly Rs 6.20 lakh after victims reported the incidents within the crucial ‘golden hour’.

In the first case, a 26-year-old software engineer from Yousufguda lost over Rs 5.23 lakh after installing a fake M-Parivahan APK sent via WhatsApp. The malware accessed his OTPs and enabled unauthorised credit card purchases.

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The victim immediately filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Quick coordination between police and the bank helped block the transactions, resulting in full recovery of the amount.

In another incident, a 53-year-old man from Amberpet installed a fraudulent bank update APK, leading to unauthorised transactions of Rs 1.25 lakh. Cybercrime staff assisted the complainant in removing the malware and filing the report.

Investigators traced the transactions to purchases on e-commerce websites. The orders were cancelled, enabling recovery of Rs 1 lakh.

How the malware worked

Both APKs had permissions to read SMS and OTPs, allowing fraudsters to log in to e-commerce platforms, make purchases using stored card details, and even try to hijack the victim’s WhatsApp account to spread the malware further.

Officials stressed that reporting fraud within the first few minutes to an hour is critical for stopping or reversing transactions before funds are diverted.

Police have urged citizens to download apps only from official app stores, avoid sharing card details or OTPs, and remove saved cards from shopping apps.

Suspicious transactions should be reported immediately to 1930 or the NCRP portal.