Navsari | In a major breakthrough, Navsari Cyber Crime police arrested a gang of four from Vapi for duping a youth of Gandevi taluka by sending a fake APK file of an RTO challan through WhatsApp. The accused allegedly hacked the victim’s phone and siphoned off money from his bank account.

According to police sources, the victim had lodged a complaint stating that unknown persons tricked him into downloading and installing an application disguised as an e-RTO challan. Once installed, the malicious app gave the culprits access to his device, enabling them to steal a total of ₹1.5 lakh through multiple online transfers.

Acting on the complaint, a team led by Cyber Crime PI U. L. Modi conducted a detailed investigation using technical surveillance and human intelligence. Based on the findings, four accused were traced and arrested from different locations in Vapi.

Those arrested have been identified as:

1. Prakash Shanktha Prasad Tiwari (27), resident of Siddhi Vinayak Residency, Patel Faliya, Swaminarayan Gurukul Road, Vapi; originally from Sirmore, Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh.
2. Sachin Mahendra Singh (23), resident of Swastik Sankul, Antiyawad, Balitha, Vapi; originally from Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh.
3. Somukumar Karun Sharma (24), resident of Sai Shraddha Residency, Morai village, Vapi; originally from Patna, Bihar.
4. Ramesh Basudev Mandal (31), resident of Swastik Sankul, Antiyawad, Balitha, Vapi; originally from Sahebganj district, Bihar.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the gang was operating a phishing racket by circulating fraudulent APK files through messaging platforms to unsuspecting users. Once installed, these apps compromised victims’ devices and enabled unauthorized access to financial details.

Cyber Crime PI U. L. Modi confirmed that further investigation is underway to identify other possible victims and trace the wider network involved in the scam.

Authorities have urged citizens to remain vigilant and avoid downloading unknown APK files or links received through WhatsApp or other platforms, especially those related to banking, challans, or government services.