Bhubaneswar: The cyber police in Puri arrested a man on Sunday for duping unsuspecting victims by circulating fake and malicious files disguised as ‘traffic challans’. The accused has been identified as Kartik Hati (35), a resident of Balangir.On Jan 13, Mrutyunjay Tripathy (43) of Puri’s Talabania area lodged a complaint stating that he lost Rs 1.62 lakh after clicking on a malicious Android Package Kit (APK) file named RTO challan, which was sent on his WhatsApp.“Fraudsters are sending fake APK files and links under the guise of legitimate services to siphon money. These files are often named to exploit curiosity — such as traffic challan, rewards, PM Kisan, PM Rojgar, and Subhadra Yojna rewards. Once opened, scammers gain control of the device, accessing personal data and banking information,” explained Puri SP Prateek Singh.Investigations revealed that Hati was already wanted by Asansol police in West Bengal for a similar cybercrime. Working in collusion with his associates, he orchestrated the fraud. Police authorities have frozen his bank account and seized his mobile phone. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend his accomplices.
