Mumbai: Man Duped of Over ₹40 Lakh in Cyber Fraud on Pretext of Gas Bill

A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light from the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai, where a 46-year-old man was duped of more than ₹40.86 lakh by fraudsters posing as gas company officials. The accused allegedly threatened the victim with disconnection of his gas supply citing pending dues of Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL).

According to the complaint filed by the victim, the incident began on April 4, 2026, when he received a message warning that his gas connection would be cut due to unpaid bills. Soon after, he received a call from a person identifying himself as “Manish Rathod,” claiming to be a gas official.

The cyber fraudsters then sent a suspicious file titled “MGL GAS CA UNBLOCK FILE” via WhatsApp and persuaded the victim to install it on his phone. Gaining his trust through a WhatsApp video call, the accused managed to extract details of four debit cards.

Using these details, the fraudsters manipulated the victim and transferred a total of ₹40,86,051 from his multiple bank accounts and cards.

The victim realized he had been cheated only two days later after discussing the matter with his elder brother. He immediately reported the incident on the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and later registered an FIR with the East Region Cyber Police.

Police have urged citizens to remain cautious and avoid downloading links or APK files received from unknown numbers. They have also advised using only official apps for payment of utility bills such as gas and electricity. In case of any such fraud, citizens are advised to immediately contact the cyber helpline at 1930.