2 days ago
Mumbai Police Arrest Three Over Fake Gas App Scam
Police in Kandivali arrested three men accused of using a fake gas-company app.
The app was sent as an APK file, which can install software on a phone.
Police said the software let the suspects access victims’ phones remotely.
One man was allegedly told to upload his gas meter reading and lost ₹2.70 lakh.
Another was asked to pay ₹12 and allegedly lost ₹4.17 lakh.
The second incident happened on May 7, 2025.
Police traced the suspects to Olpad village in Gujarat.
They said the stolen money was allegedly used to repay a gold loan from Bajaj Finserv.
Police reported recovering about ₹6.24 lakh, which is less than the ₹6.87 lakh combined losses described in the cases.
Kandivali police arrested three men over an alleged scam involving a malicious APK disguised as a Mahanagar Gas application.
Police said the app gave the accused remote access to victims’ phones and enabled unauthorized bank transfers.
Bakul Kantilal Desai allegedly lost ₹2.70 lakh after being told to upload his gas meter reading.
Shailesh Jaikishan Parmar allegedly lost ₹4.17 lakh after being asked to pay ₹12 for a meter reading on May 7, 2025.
Police traced the suspects to Olpad village in Gujarat and said about ₹6.24 lakh was recovered, although the two reported losses total ₹6.87 lakh.
- Who
- Kandivali police arrested Urvishkumar Patel, Janikumar Patel and Ankitkumar Patel; the reported complainants were Bakul Kantilal Desai and Shailesh Jaikishan Parmar.
- What
- The three men are accused of using a fake Mahanagar Gas APK application to obtain remote access to phones and siphon money from bank accounts.
- Where
- The cases were investigated by Kandivali police in Mumbai, and the suspects were traced to Olpad village in Gujarat.
- When
- One reported incident occurred on May 7, 2025; the arrest date was not stated.
- Why
- Police allege the app was used to steal money from victims’ bank accounts; they said the funds were allegedly used to repay a gold loan.
Key facts
- Accused arrested
- Urvishkumar Patel, Janikumar Patel and Ankitkumar Patel
- Alleged recovery
- About ₹6.24 lakh
- First reported loss
- ₹2.70 lakh allegedly taken from Bakul Kantilal Desai’s bank account
- Second reported loss
- ₹4.17 lakh allegedly taken from Shailesh Jaikishan Parmar’s savings account
- Payment requested
- ₹12 for a gas meter reading in the second case
- Suspects traced to
- Olpad village, Gujarat
- Loan mentioned by police
- A gold loan from Bajaj Finserv
Sources
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