MP Police bust inter-state cyber fraud gang in APK, eSIM scam​

Bhopal/Narmadapuram, May 12 Madhya Pradesh Police has busted an inter-state cyber fraud gang involved in stealing money from bank accounts through malicious APK files and eSIM swapping, officials said on Tuesday.​

Two accused -- Umesh Das (30) and Uttam Kumar Das (23), both residents of Madhupur in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district -- were arrested on May 7 and brought to Madhya Pradesh on May 11, police said.​

According to police, the accused allegedly duped a villager from Narmadapuram district of Rs 3,09,917 by gaining remote access to his mobile phone and diverting banking alerts and one-time passwords through eSIM activation.​

The case came to light after Chhotelal Kushwah (45), a resident of Doomar village under Banakhedi police station limits, lodged a complaint on March 17 stating that money had been fraudulently withdrawn online from his bank account.​

Following the complaint, a Special Investigation Team was formed under the supervision of Narmadapuram Superintendent of Police Sai Krishna S. Thota.​

Police said a technical investigation led the team to Jharkhand, where officers arrived on May 2 and conducted surveillance for four consecutive days before arresting the accused during a late-night raid on May 7.​

“Displaying great prudence and working covertly, the police team maintained surveillance in the residential area of the accused for four consecutive days while operating in disguise,” a senior police official in the cyber department said while briefing the press in Bhopal on Tuesday.​

According to the police investigation, the accused used to send APK files through social media platforms and messaging applications.​

Once victims installed the files and granted permissions, the fraudsters gained access to SMS messages, one-time passwords, banking alerts, contact lists, and other data stored on the victims' mobile phones.​

Police said the gang later generated eSIMs linked to the victims’ mobile numbers, allowing one-time passwords and banking alerts to be redirected to the accused.​

“Subsequently, the accused would generate an eSIM for the victim’s mobile number, causing one-time passwords and banking alerts linked to the bank account to be routed directly to them,” police said.​

Mobile phones, ATM cards, and bank passbooks allegedly used in the crime were seized from the accused.​

Police have advised people not to install APK files received from unknown sources and to avoid clicking on suspicious links.​

Citizens have also been asked to immediately contact banks and mobile operators if mobile networks suddenly stop working or if they receive unauthorised eSIM activation alerts.​

--IANS

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