Mulund Police have registered a case of cyber fraud, a 49-year-old grain trader from Navi Mumbai, was duped of ₹8.24 lakh after receiving a fake WhatsApp message claiming to be from Saraswat Bank, warning the victim that his bank account would be blocked due to a missing PAN card update. The fraudsters sent a deceptive link under the guise of updating PAN card details, leading to a phishing attack that drained the victim's bank account through nine unauthorized transactions — all within two hours, on the night of June 1.
According to the FIR, the victim, Virendra Aiya, who runs a grain trading business at APMC Market in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, resides with his family at Tirumala Ambetite on B.R. Road, Mulund (West), received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number displaying the Saraswat Bank logo. at around 9:30 PM on June 1.
The message included the Saraswat Bank logo and read: "Dear Customer, your SARASWAT BANK account has been blocked today because your PAN CARD was not updated. Please update your PAN number. OPEN SARASWAT APK file. Thank you, SARASWAT BANK TEAM!"
Attached to the message was an APK file, falsely claiming to be linked to the bank. When Aiya clicked on the file, a webpage resembling the official Saraswat Bank site opened. Believing it to be genuine, he entered his full bank account details, including ATM card details.
Soon after, he began receiving SMS alerts that money was being debited from his account. Realizing he had been scammed, Aiya immediately contacted the bank’s customer care to block his account and ATM card. However, by then, cybercriminals had already carried out nine fraudulent transactions, siphoning off a total of ₹8.24 lakh.
He reported the incident through the National Cybercrime helpline (1930) and later filed a written complaint with the Mulund Police via email on June 5.
Mulund Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
