Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Pune Sugar Trader Loses Rs 3 Crore in Whale-Phishing Attack
A sugar trader in Pune lost Rs 3 crore after criminals tricked his accountant.
The criminals appear to have hacked the accountant’s phone using a suspicious file.
They used a WhatsApp number saved with the trader’s name.
The messages told the accountant to send money from the company’s bank account.
The accountant sent three transfers of Rs 1 crore each.
The money went to accounts in Madhya Pradesh.
The trader discovered the fraud when the accountant asked him about a GST number.
Police are investigating and advising businesses to verify large payment requests by phone.
A Pune-based sugar trader lost Rs 3 crore in under an hour.
Fraudsters allegedly compromised the accountant’s phone and impersonated the trader on WhatsApp.
The accountant made three Rs 1 crore transfers to Bank of Baroda accounts in Madhya Pradesh.
The fraud was discovered after the accountant asked the trader for a GST number.
Police suspect malware and are investigating cheating and criminal conspiracy under cybercrime laws.
- Who
- A Pune-based sugar trader, his accountant, and alleged cyber fraudsters.
- What
- Three unauthorized transfers totaling Rs 3 crore were made from the company’s bank account.
- When
- On a Monday morning, August 31; the article does not clearly specify the year, while the suspicious filename references 2026.
- Where
- The business is based in Market Yard, Pune, and the beneficiary accounts were in Rewa district or districts of Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- Police suspect malware compromised the accountant’s phone, allowing fraudsters to impersonate the trader and issue payment instructions.
- Reported loss
- Rs 3 crore
- Transaction count
- Three transfers of Rs 1 crore each
- Time taken
- Less than one hour
- Targeted device
- The accountant’s mobile phone
- Suspected malware file
- Transaction_Details_31/08/2026 img
- Police station
- Pune City Cyber Police Station
- Case provisions
- Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions concerning cheating and criminal conspiracy