Andhra MLA Cyber Fraud: How a Malicious APK Cost a Politician ₹12 Lakh

An Andhra Pradesh MLA fell victim to a sophisticated cyber fraud, losing ₹12 lakh after clicking on a malicious APK file, prompting a police investigation into a potential international cybercrime ring.

All illustrations: Dominic Xavier/ Rediff.com

IMAGE: All illustrations: Dominic Xavier/ Rediff.com

Key Points

Janasena MLA C Balaraju lost ₹12 lakh after clicking on a malicious APK file disguised as an RTA challan.
The fraudulent link led to unauthorised transactions from the MLA's bank account.
Police have registered a case under Section 318(4) BNS and Section 66 D of the IT Act and are investigating the incident.
The withdrawn amount was traced to an ATM in West Bengal, suggesting the involvement of an organised gang.
Authorities suspect the cyber fraud may involve an organised gang with potential international links.

Andhra Pradesh police have registered a cyber fraud case after Janasena MLA C Balaraju lost ₹12 lakh by clicking on a malicious Android Package Kit (APK) file, a police official said.

According to police, the incident occurred on March 6 when the legislator unknowingly accessed the fraudulent link, leading to unauthorised transactions from his bank account, following which he approached the National Cyber Crime Helpline and registered a complaint.

"We have registered a case after Janasena MLA C Balaraju from Polavaram constituency lost ₹12 lakh by clicking on a malicious Android Package Kit (APK) file posing as an Road Transport Authority (RTA) challan," the official told PTI.

Fraudsters have transferred all amounts from the MLA's account after he clicked on the suspicious APK file, he said.

The complaint was later forwarded to the local police station on March 21 for further investigation, he added.

Police Investigation and Legal Action

Meanwhile, police have registered a case under Section 318(4) BNS and Section 66 D of the IT Act and initiated a probe into the incident.

According to police, bank statements revealed that the withdrawn amount was traced to an ATM located in West Bengal.

It is suspected the involvement of an organised gang, possibly with international links, behind the cyber fraud, the official added.

Disclaimer: News content is sourced from the stated source. Headlines, summaries, section headers, and images are automatically generated or selected using AI/algorithms and may not always be fully accurate. Readers are advised to refer to the full article for complete context.