Noida: 60-year-old’s phone hacked, ₹12.30 lakh stolen over ‘ ₹12 gas bill’

Police said that following the conversation, the suspect sent him a link on WhatsApp and asked him to make the payment

Cybercriminals allegedly hacked the mobile phone of a 60-year-old man on the pretext of a pending Indraprasthra Gas Limited (IGL) bill and siphoned off ₹12.30 lakh in Noida on July 11, police said on Friday, adding that a case was registered at the cybercrime branch police station.

The victim, Brij Bhusan Prasad, who worked with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), lives with his family in a high-rise in Noida Sector 74, police said. (Representational image)

The victim, Brij Bhusan Prasad, who worked with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), lives with his family in a high-rise in Noida Sector 74, police said.

In his complaint to police, Prasad said that on July 11, he received a call. “When I answered the call, the caller informed me that I have a pending payment of ₹12 on my IGL bill,” he said.

Police said that following the conversation, the suspect sent him a link on WhatsApp and asked him to make the payment. “When he opened the link, followed the suspect’s instructions, and clicked on ‘Yes’, his mobile phone was hacked,” said Ranjeet Singh, station house officer, cybercrime branch.

During the hack, the victim’s screen display froze, making him unable to disconnect the call, police said. “During that period, the suspect managed to divert his calls and messages and siphoned off ₹12.30 lakh from his savings bank account and credit card in multiple transactions,” said Singh. After two days, when the victim received some messages from the bank, he came to know about the fraud, police said.

A case under sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act was registered on Thursday. “Efforts are underway to identify the suspect and recover his money,” added SHO Singh, while urging people not to click on any link provided by someone over the phone or social media.

An official spokesperson of IGL, requesting anonymity, said, “We have been sensitising our customers for the past six months through WhatsApp and on social media to not click on any links provided by cybercriminals posing as IGL employees.”

“In many cases, people are threatened that their connection will be cut off by the end of the day due to a pending bill. However, IGL communicates only through official channels. People are advised to verify the authenticity before proceeding,” said the spokesperson.