Thiruvananthapuram | The Kochi Cyber Crime Police Division has arrested a gang in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, for committing online fraud across the nation using fake Parivahan software, officials said on Sunday.
They arrested UP natives Atul Kumar Singh (32) and Manish Yadav (24) who were allegedly committing fraud by sending fake Android Package Kit (APK) files through WhatsApp to their targets under the pretext of demanding payment of vehicular fines, a State Police Media Centre (SPMC) release said.
APK files are used to install mobile apps.
The accused collected the vehicle details through a Telegram bot, the release said.
The brain behind the creation of the fake APK was a 16-year-old relative of Yadav, it said.
The police action was taken following a complaint registered on the National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP) by an Ernakulam native claiming that he was duped of Rs 85,000 through the fake Parivahan software.
The accused were arrested by a police team comprising Inspector Shameer Khan, and officers Arun, Ajith Raj, Nikhil George, Alfit Andrews and Sharafuddin based on digital evidence, the release said.
Details of more than 2,700 vehicles from various states, including Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, were found on the two accused's phones, it said.
The SPMC suggested that on noticing such online financial crimes, it should be immediately reported to the Cyber Police by calling the toll-free number 1930 or through the website -- https://cybercrime.gov.in/.
