The Kochi Cyber Police have arrested two men from Varanasi—Atul Kumar Singh (32) and Manish Yadav (24)—for orchestrating a cyber fraud using a counterfeit version of the Parivahan app. The duo is accused of tricking unsuspecting victims by sending fake APK files through WhatsApp, pretending they were legitimate links to pay traffic fines.
According to the police, the operation led to the recovery of sensitive data from over 2,700 vehicles registered in various Indian states. The suspects allegedly scammed victims out of a total of Rs85,000 by masquerading as representatives of the government service.
The scam came to light when a resident of Ernakulam reported the issue via the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Since then, over 570 cases have been filed in connection to this fraudulent scheme across Kerala.
The original Parivahan app, developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, offers services such as checking traffic challans, vehicle registration status, insurance, and license validity. While this app is legitimate, cybercriminals have exploited its popularity to create convincing clones and deceive users.
Authorities are currently investigating whether the arrested individuals are part of a broader network responsible for similar frauds reported nationwide.
