Nagpur: A 31-year-old resident of Jagdish Nagar on Katol Road fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud after opening a fake wedding invitation APK file, resulting in a loss of ₹6.96 lakh from his bank account. Gittikhadan Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.

The complainant, Shubham Kumar Jamuna Prasad Sattamo (31), a resident of Jagdish Nagar near Tarachand Chauhan Kirana Store on Katol Road, told police that he received a file named “wedding invitation.apk” from mobile number 7030214257.

According to the complaint, after downloading and opening the APK file, the application prompted him to click on an “Allow” option. Once he granted the permissions, the fraudster allegedly gained unauthorized access to his smartphone and hacked both his mobile device and WhatsApp account.

Police said the cybercriminal then accessed the complainant’s banking information and fraudulently transferred ₹6,96,160 from his bank account without his knowledge.

Following the complaint, Gittikhadan Police registered an FIR against an unidentified accused under Sections 318(4), 336(2) and 336(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 66(C) of the Information Technology Act.

Police have once again urged citizens not to install APK files received through SMS or messaging apps from unknown or unverified sources. Users should avoid granting unnecessary permissions to such applications, as they may enable cybercriminals to remotely access phones, steal personal data and siphon money from linked bank accounts.