Pune, 27th June 2026: Cyber criminals duped two Pune residents of more than ₹14.16 lakh by sending fake Regional Transport Office (RTO) e-challan notices containing malicious APK files. The fraudsters tricked the victims into downloading the files, which enabled unauthorized access to their bank accounts and led to substantial financial losses.
In the first incident, a 54-year-old resident of Anandnagar on Sinhagad Road received a fake RTO challan on his mobile phone. Believing it to be a genuine traffic penalty notice, he downloaded the attached APK file.
The cyber fraudsters then gained access to his banking information and siphoned off ₹11.66 lakh from his account. A case has been registered at Sinhagad Road Police Station.
A similar fraud was reported from Kharadi, where a 41-year-old man was targeted using the same method. The victim received a fake RTO challan along with an APK file, and after downloading it, lost around ₹3.5 lakh from his bank account. Kharadi Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
Police have urged citizens not to download APK files received through SMS, WhatsApp, or unknown links, even if they appear to be official notices from government departments. They have advised people to verify any traffic challans only through official government platforms and remain alert to such cyber scams.