Patna: A government schoolteacher in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district has lost more than Rs 21 lakh from his bank account after cyber fraudsters allegedly tricked him into installing malicious software on his mobile phone, police said.
The incident took place in the Naugachhia subdivision, where Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, a middle school teacher and a resident of Tintanga Karari village under the Gopalpur police station area, became the target of an online scam. According to the complaint, unknown individuals sent an APK file to his phone, which was later used to siphon money from his State Bank of India account.
Thakur said he became aware of the fraud on the morning of December 22, when he received multiple alerts indicating withdrawals from his account. On checking further, he discovered that Rs 21,69,102 had been withdrawn in nine transactions on December 21 from his SBI account.
A preliminary examination of his mobile phone revealed four suspicious APK files, which investigators believe were used to gain unauthorised access to his banking credentials. The files have been preserved on a pen drive and submitted as evidence, the police said.
The teacher lodged a complaint with the National Cyber Helpline (1930) and subsequently filed a first information report at the Naugachhia cyber police station. Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the law and initiated a technical investigation into the bank transactions, mobile data and the malicious applications involved.
Cyber police officials described the case as a serious instance of financial fraud and said efforts were under way to trace the perpetrators. “All digital trails are being analysed, and action will be taken once the accused are identified,” an officer said.
The incident has renewed concerns over cyber security in the region. Police have urged the public to avoid clicking on unknown links or downloading APK files from unverified sources, and to report any suspected cybercrime immediately through the helpline or at the nearest cyber police station.
