Bhubaneswar: The Cyber Police in Bhubaneswar have cracked a major online fraud case involving a racket that allegedly duped a victim of nearly ₹7 lakh by sending a fake RTO challan link.

According to police sources, four accused have been arrested in connection with the case. Three of them, identified as Mohammed Abbas, Mohammed Salman, and Mohammed Amir, were apprehended from Telangana. They were reportedly responsible for creating and operating mule bank accounts used to transfer the defrauded money. The funds were then routed to Mukesh Turi, believed to be the kingpin of the gang and a resident of Jamtara in Jharkhand.

Investigations revealed that the accused used malicious APK files to carry out the fraud. Victims were lured into clicking on links disguised as official RTO challan notices. Once the APK file was downloaded, the fraudsters gained complete access to the victim’s mobile phone, including sensitive data and banking details. This allowed them to siphon off money directly from bank accounts.

Police said the gang employed multiple methods beyond fake traffic challan links to target victims. After transferring the stolen money into mule accounts, the accused quickly withdrew the funds to avoid detection.

Authorities have cautioned the public against downloading or clicking on APK files received from unknown sources. Such files can give cybercriminals full control over mobile devices, leading to severe financial losses.

With the arrest of the accused, police are now uncovering more details about the gang’s operations and possible links to other cyber fraud cases. Two accused from Jharkhand and two from Sangareddy in Hyderabad have been taken into custody as part of the ongoing investigation.