Mumbai: A 36-year-old graphic designer who previously managed to escape a digital arrest scam allegedly turned the experience into a criminal enterprise, creating malicious software that defrauded more than 9,600 people nationwide of nearly Rs 150 crore, according to police.
The Mumbai Crime Branch's Property Cell arrested Indore resident Pankaj Gupta for allegedly developing and distributing 2,805 malicious Android application files to cybercrime syndicates based in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Investigators noted that Gupta, who possessed coding skills, had narrowly avoided falling victim to a digital arrest scam five years prior. Rather than steering clear of criminal elements, he reportedly identified a lucrative venture, approached fraudsters, and offered to build custom APK files that served as digital remote controls to hijack victim smartphones.
An Android Package Kit, or APK, is a file format used for software installation on Android operating systems. Malicious APKs are infected or counterfeit applications built to siphon sensitive information, intercept one-time passwords, or take over mobile devices remotely. Authorities stated that Gupta disguised his malicious software as legitimate government and utility services, including senior citizen card verification, e-traffic challans, pension verification, credit card updates, and PM Kisan Yojana portals.
The inquiry was initiated following an August 13 complaint filed by a senior citizen from Mumbai's Byculla neighbourhood. The victim reported receiving a call from someone impersonating a nationalised bank representative who offered help with a Senior Citizen Card scheme. After clicking an APK link sent via text message, Rs 5.62 lakh was illegally withdrawn from the account.
Following a technical analysis, the Mumbai Crime Branch traced the operation to Gupta in Indore. Investigators discovered that he rented servers from multiple companies to store data harvested through the fraudulent apps, selling each file to local calling networks for between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000.
Law enforcement officials explained that the cyber rings reached out to targets using compromised data acquired from financial institutions and other entities. The syndicate has reportedly impacted 9,673 individuals throughout the country, resulting in 1,074 grievances logged on the national cyber portal, which includes 142 cases in Maharashtra and 36 in Mumbai specifically.
Police stated that the total financial losses across all victims reached nearly Rs 150 crore, facilitated by the malicious programs allegedly designed by Gupta. Authorities are continuing their inquiries to uncover further details about the wider network and the individuals operating locally.