Sandalwood actor Upendra and his wife Priyanka Upendra fell victim to a cybercrime in September, resulting in a loss of around Rs 1.5 lakh. The Sadashivanagar Police have arrested Vikas Kumar, a native of Bihar, in connection with the incident.
According to police reports, Kumar and his associates were allegedly involved in large-scale cyber fraud. The case began on September 15, when Priyanka booked an item online and subsequently received a suspicious link on her phone. After clicking it, her WhatsApp account was hacked, and messages were sent to her contacts requesting urgent money transfers of Rs 55,000.
Several contacts, believing the requests were genuine, sent money. Even the couple’s phones, as well as their manager’s, were compromised when Priyanka tried calling them. Shockingly, their son also transferred Rs 50,000, thinking the request was from his mother.
Upon realizing the hack, the family estimated that around Rs 1.5 lakh had been stolen. Priyanka filed a complaint with the Sadashivanagar Police, who traced the cyber trail to Dashrathpur, Bihar.
Investigations revealed that more than 150 youths in the region were reportedly involved in cybercrimes. Kumar was arrested and brought to Bengaluru for interrogation. The case is being jointly handled by the Central Division Cyber Police and the Sadashivanagar Police, with further inquiries underway.
