Ghaziabad, March 3: In a major breakthrough, Ghaziabad Cyber Crime Police have busted an interstate gang that allegedly hacked mobile phones through malicious APK files and siphoned off nearly Rs 3 crore across multiple states. Three accused from Bihar and Jharkhand were arrested from the Vijay Nagar police station area, officials confirmed.

According to DCP Headquarters Dhawal Jaiswal, the case came to light after Modinagar resident Dr Shravan Kumar Sharma received an APK file titled “RTO e-Challan” via WhatsApp. The moment he downloaded the file, his phone was compromised. Between February 10 and February 19, INR 31.81 lakh was transferred from his bank accounts into various accounts. A case was registered at the cyber crime police station and investigation began based on technical evidence. What Is ‘Scam-Yourself’ Attacks? Scammers Find New Ways To Trick Users Through ‘Social Engineering’ Techniques; How To Spot Such Threats and Stay Safe.

Ghaziabad Police Uncover Interstate Cyber Gang Behind INR 3 Crore Fraud

Police arrested Pintu Kumar, Adarsh Kumar and Prashant Deep. The accused are educated, with qualifications ranging from BA and BCom degrees to an electrical diploma. Investigations revealed that Adarsh had received cyber fraud training from his associate Abhishek Kumar in Jharkhand. What Is AI-Based Biometric Scam? Hyderabad Police Issue Urgent Advisory as Cybercriminals Target Facial and Voice Data for Deepfake Identity Theft.

The gang allegedly collected thousands of mobile numbers through apps like “Girlfriend Number” available on the Google Play Store. Fake APK files were then sent via WhatsApp. SIM cards were procured using forged identities, and hacking tools were purchased through Telegram IDs. Once a phone was hacked, control was transferred to another handler who used mobile banking to move funds and withdraw cash from ATMs before distributing the money among gang members.

Police said the gang used APK files named Bhim Bypass, RTO Traffic Challan 1000, Bhim 4.0, Paytm Pagal, PKK Book, Indian Overseas Bank, Tata Neo and M Parivahan. So far, 94 cases across 16 states have been linked to the network. Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining absconding accused and dismantle the entire racket.

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