Bhagalpur: Â Cybercriminals allegedly posing as electricity department officials defrauded a Home Guard of Rs. 92,000 in Bhagalpur by tricking him into clicking a malicious link sent over WhatsApp. The incident took place on November 6, prompting the victimâs family to file a complaint with the cyber police station.
The victim, Vinod Kumar Yadav, a Home Guard posted at Bhagalpur Samyukt Bhavan, said he had saved the money for his daughterâs wedding. âI received a call around 12 pm from an unknown number claiming to be from the Electricity Office,â he said.
According to the complaint filed by his son Nitesh Kumar, the caller insisted that the family’s electricity meter was ânot updatedâ and demanded a Rs. 100 recharge to complete the process. Moments later, the fraudster sent a link over WhatsApp, purportedly from âBihar Electricityâ.
âThe moment the link was clicked, the mobile phone shut down. When it restarted, the entire bank balance was gone,â the complaint states.
Nitesh immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and later submitted a formal application at the Bhagalpur Cyber Police Station. Police said efforts were underway to trace the gang behind the fraudulent call.
A cyber officer said the case appears to be part of a wider pattern in which scammers use threats of electricity disconnection or meter deactivation to manipulate customers. Residents have been urged to avoid clicking on unknown links and to verify calls directly with the electricity department.
