Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Kharghar Resident Loses ₹8.39 Lakh in APK Cyber Fraud
A man in India got a phone call from someone who pretended to work for his gas company.
The caller said his gas bill was not updated and needed fixing right away.
They asked him to download an app file, which he did.
That file was actually a trick that let the bad people control his phone.
Once they had control, they took a lot of money from his bank account.
The man noticed the money was missing and went to the police.
The police are now investigating who took the money.
They also warned everyone not to download files from people they don't know.
If someone asks for bank passwords or secret codes, that is a big warning sign.
It is always safer to check with the real company before doing what a caller says.
A 59-year-old Kharghar resident, Satish Pillai, lost ₹8.39 lakh after downloading a malicious APK file.
The fraudsters posed as Mahanagar Gas employees and claimed his gas bill needed to be updated.
The APK file was sent to the victim via WhatsApp and gave the fraudsters control of his mobile phone.
The accused transferred ₹8,39,755 from his bank account through online transactions.
Kharghar police registered a case against unidentified cyber fraudsters and issued a public advisory warning against downloading APK files from unknown persons.
- Who
- Satish Pillai, a 59-year-old resident of Sector 35, Kharghar, and unidentified cyber fraudsters posing as Mahanagar Gas employees.
- What
- A cyber fraud in which the victim lost ₹8.39 lakh after downloading a malicious APK file that gave fraudsters control of his phone and bank account.
- When
- The fraudulent call was received last week, and the complaint was filed around August 11, 2026.
- Where
- Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.
- Why
- The fraudsters tricked the victim into downloading the APK file on the pretext of updating his gas bill.
- Victim
- Satish Pillai, 59, resident of Sector 35, Kharghar
- Amount lost
- ₹8,39,755 (₹8.39 lakh)
- Fraud method
- Malicious APK file sent via WhatsApp
- Impersonated entity
- Mahanagar Gas employees
- Pretext
- Gas bill update needed immediately
- Police station
- Kharghar police, Navi Mumbai
- Case status
- Registered against unidentified cyber fraudsters; investigation ongoing