CHANDIGARH, June 16 — A 34-year-old visually impaired man in Ramgarh, Jharkhand, fell victim to a mobile theft that quickly turned into financial fraud, with the accused siphoning off over ₹1 lakh via UPI transactions. Police arrested the suspect within a day of receiving the complaint.
Mahboob Khan, employed at a local clothing store, lost his phone on April 19 but only realised he had been defrauded when he visited his bank weeks later. “It was only after checking my account that I saw multiple unauthorised UPI transfers totalling ₹1,07,800,” Khan told the police. He formally lodged a complaint on June 13.
Acting swiftly, a dedicated cyber crime unit launched an investigation and traced the stolen device. Based on technical surveillance and data analysis, police identified the accused as Rahul, a resident of the same locality. He was apprehended within 24 hours of the complaint being filed.
“Through digital forensics and location tracking, we were able to pinpoint the suspect and recover crucial evidence,” said a senior cyber crime official. Police say Rahul not only stole Khan’s phone but also took advantage of the phone’s UPI-linked banking services to transfer the funds to his own account.
Rahul was booked under Sections 316(4), 318(4), and 303 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Sector 20 cyber police station. He was produced in court on Sunday and remanded to three days of police custody for further interrogation.
Officials said more arrests may follow if others are found to be involved in facilitating the transfer or withdrawing the stolen money.
