A Mumbai bank general manager lost over ₹4 lakh after downloading a malicious ‘RTO Challan APK’ via free Wi-Fi at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, prompting renewed warnings over cyber threats at public hotspots.
Mumbai police are investigating a cyber fraud case in which a Bank of Baroda general manager lost ₹4.27 lakh after installing a fake “RTO Challan APK” that was allegedly spread through free public Wi-Fi at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, according to a report by The Free Press Journal. The incident has renewed concern over the risks of public hotspots and the ease with which malicious apps can be disguised as routine official notices.
Police said the victim, Gobinda Biswas, 56, a resident of Wadala and a general manager at the bank’s Fort branch, is believed to have been affected after his personal secretary connected a phone to the station’s free Wi-Fi on July 18. Investigators believe the connection was used to compromise the device and send the fake file to contacts stored on the phone.
Biswas downloaded the APK thinking it was a legitimate traffic fine notice, and his own phone was then compromised, police said. He later deleted the file after noticing unusual activity, but did not receive immediate transaction alerts. The fraud only emerged on August 3, when his credit card statement showed five unauthorised transactions totalling ₹4,27,264 carried out in 28 minutes on July 21.
The MRA Marg police registered an FIR on August 4 after the bank blocked the card and the victim complained through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The investigation is now examining the fake file itself, the financial fraud and whether the public Wi-Fi network was used as part of the attack. The case fits a wider pattern seen in Mumbai and elsewhere, where fake APK files have been used in scams involving gas, pension and banking-themed messages to trick victims into installing malware.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
