Solan:
A cyber fraudster posing as a pension department official duped a pensioner of ₹4.80 lakh in Solan district by luring him into sharing his bank details and downloading a mobile application.
The victim, identified as Narayan Singh Chauhan, received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller introduced himself as a “pension officer” and claimed there was an issue related to Chauhan’s pension account.
Trusting the caller, Chauhan shared his bank details as sought by the fraudster. He was also persuaded to download a mobile application on his phone, allegedly for verification of pension-related records.
Soon after installing the app, Chauhan noticed that ₹4.80 lakh had been fraudulently withdrawn from his bank account without his knowledge or consent.
Realising he had been cheated, the pensioner approached the Superintendent of Police (SP), Solan, and lodged a formal complaint. The police have initiated a probe into the matter.
Officials have registered a case under relevant sections of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and have begun tracing the mobile number, bank transactions and digital trail of the accused.
Police have once again advised the public, especially senior citizens, not to share bank details, OTPs or download unknown apps on the instructions of callers claiming to be government officials, and to immediately report such calls to the police or cyber helpline.
