A 72-year-old retired private company employee from Ghatkopar allegedly lost nearly Rs 19.74 lakh in an online fraud after clicking on a fake payment link sent in the name of updating his Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) bill. The incident has been registered by the Cyber Cell of the East Regional Division, and an investigation is currently underway against unidentified cyber fraudsters under cheating and IT Act provisions.
According to the police, the complainant, Mukesh Ramaniklal Shah, received a message on his mobile phone on May 1, 2026, claiming that his MGL bill had not been updated and that his gas connection would be disconnected at 10 pm if the pending amount was not paid immediately. The message also contained the name “Shrikant Mishra” along with a mobile number for assistance.
Believing the message to be genuine, Shah contacted the number. The caller informed him that an amount of Rs 12 was pending towards his gas bill and asked him to make the payment urgently. The fraudster then sent him a link for payment.
Police said Shah clicked on the link and attempted to make the Rs 12 payment, but the transaction did not go through. Shortly afterwards, his mobile phone and banking applications were allegedly hacked. During this period, several unauthorised online transactions were carried out not only from Shah’s bank account but also from the accounts of his wife, brother, and sister-in-law.
In total, Rs 19,74,226 was allegedly withdrawn from the four bank accounts through online transactions. After realising the fraud, Shah’s brother approached the cyber helpline and later lodged a complaint with the Cyber Cell of the East Regional Division.
Based on the complaint, the police have registered an FIR against unidentified cyber fraudsters and launched an investigation. Officials are currently tracing the bank accounts where the money was transferred and gathering details of the account holders involved in the transactions.
The incident has created panic among local residents, with police once again urging citizens not to click on suspicious payment links or share banking details with unknown callers.