Overview
- The victim in Bengaluru saw a wedding invite on WhatsApp and lost Rs 5,00,440 to rapid UPI debits that hit between 4:45 and 4:54 am on April 16.
- City police registered identity-theft and cheating cases under IT Act Sections 66C and 66D, along with a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and opened an investigation with no arrests announced.
- Police said the attached APK was used to install an app outside Google Play and may have opened access to the camera and payment or bank apps used for UPI.
- Investigators suspect the same message and file were pushed to more users across the city as part of a larger fraud operation.
- Security voices urged people to avoid side-loading .apk files, learn to spot safe formats like JPEG or PDF for invites, and stick to official app stores to reduce risk.