In a major breakthrough, Kochi Police arrested Dheeraj Giri, a 28-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday for swindling Rs10 lakh from a Mattancherry resident using a malicious SMS link that installed a malicious APK file.
The victim received the SMS on October 31, which contained a link leading to an APK (Android Package Kit) file. Unknowingly, the victim installed the app, granting it access to his mobile banking apps and One-Time Passwords (OTPs). Between 10 PM on October 31 and 8 AM on November 1, Rs10 lakh was transferred from the victim’s bank account in 41 transactions to 39 different bank accounts.
The Mattancherry Police began their investigation by tracking the accounts to which the money was transferred. They discovered that the accused used the stolen funds to purchase credits in various online games, which he then converted to cash, allowing him to avoid detection.
The police traced the URL used to create the malicious APK file and identified two mobile numbers, a Gmail account, and an IP address linked to the fraud. By examining the Call Data Records (CDRs), the police found that the accused had used six phone numbers to operate several bank accounts involved in the scam. Investigations also revealed that Dheeraj Giri was connected to another cyber fraud in Bengaluru, where a victim lost Rs1.20 crore.
After tracking the mobile phone numbers, the police apprehended Dheeraj at his premium apartment in Noida. During a search of his residence, authorities seized 20 bank passbooks, ATM cards, chequebooks, PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, and six smartphones. Dheeraj, who also owned luxury cars, was living a lavish lifestyle funded by his criminal activities.
He was brought to Kochi and produced before a court, where he was remanded in judicial custody. The police will file a petition to seek his custody for further investigation into his involvement in other similar fraud cases.
