A 49-year-old homemaker from Bengaluru was allegedly duped of more than Rs 1.4 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as customer care executives of Rapido after a cab booking confusion in Delhi.
The victim, identified as Shuchi Agarwal from BTM 4th Stage, had booked a Rapido cab from Gurugram to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on May 15. During the trip, the driver reportedly informed her that the drop location showed Terminal 2 instead of Terminal 1.
Fraudsters contacted victim through WhatsApp
Unable to get assistance through the app, Shuchi searched online for customer care numbers and contacted the numbers she found. Soon after, she began receiving WhatsApp calls from individuals claiming to be Rapido support staff.
One caller identified himself as “Tushar Singh” and instructed her to download apps named “Help Desk Host” and “Truecaller” to register the complaint.
Fraudsters gained remote access
While speaking to the fake support executives, the victim reportedly received a message claiming that Rs 1,45,626 had been debited from her account. The fraudsters allegedly convinced her that the money could be recovered only if she continued following their instructions.
Police said the malicious app allowed the fraudsters to remotely access her mobile device and banking details. Soon, over Rs 90,000 was withdrawn from her account.
Bank intervention prevented further loss
According to the victim’s husband, the bank contacted her for transaction verification. After she denied authorising the payments, the bank immediately blocked further UPI transactions.
However, the fraudsters allegedly managed to siphon off another Rs 40,000 before disconnecting the call.
A complaint was later lodged with the cybercrime helpline and Bengaluru police. Officials confirmed that a case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and sections related to cheating and impersonation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita