Retired Army Brigadier Bhup Singh Taunque Duped of ₹3.26 Lakh in Fake Gas-App Cyber Fraud in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: A retired Army brigadier has allegedly lost ₹3.26 lakh in a cyber fraud in which scammers, posing as gas-service representatives, persuaded him to install a malicious APK file on his phone and then gained access to his bank account, police said.

The complainant, Brigadier Bhup Singh Taunque (retd), who lives in Army Flats in Sector 47-C, filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Sector 17 after noticing unauthorised withdrawals from his account. Police have registered a cheating case against unidentified persons and are tracing the flow of funds. No arrests have been made so far.

According to the complaint, the fraud began on 20 June, when Taunque received a mobile message warning that his gas connection would be disconnected at 10.30 p.m. if outstanding dues were not paid. Soon after, an unknown caller directed him to install an Adani application in APK format on his phone. The file was not downloaded from an official app store. Police said the installation allegedly compromised the device and enabled the callers to access it remotely.

The scammers first attempted to exploit the brigadier’s State Bank of India pension account at the Sector 17 Bank Square branch the next day, trying to transfer ₹5 lakh. That transaction was stopped because the account holder declined it and the bank blocked the attempt. But on 5 July, the fraudsters succeeded in carrying out four unauthorised withdrawals from his Axis Bank account within 42 minutes.

The transactions were for ₹90,000, ₹1,03,551, ₹48,323 and ₹84,500, taking the total stolen amount to ₹3,26,374.

Police said the case is part of a wider pattern of cyber fraud involving fake Adani Gas billing applications that have been circulating in Chandigarh. In several recent complaints, victims have reported receiving urgent messages threatening disconnection and then being pressured to install APK files sent through WhatsApp or by unknown callers. Once installed, such files can allegedly allow fraudsters to remotely control the handset, intercept one-time passwords and access banking apps without authorisation.

Investigators are examining bank records and following the money trail in an effort to identify the beneficiaries of the transfers. Officials have again cautioned that legitimate gas distributors do not send APK files for bill payment or connection verification, and that any application should be downloaded only from official app stores.

Advisory

People who receive messages warning of gas disconnection, unpaid bills or compulsory app updates should avoid clicking on links or installing files sent outside the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Suspicious messages can be reported on the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in. Banks should be informed immediately if any unauthorised transaction is detected.