In a significant breakthrough, the Cyber Crime Police of Chandigarh have apprehended a 23-year-old man from Gurugram for allegedly orchestrating a sophisticated cyber fraud that cost a city resident over Rs 3.26 lakh. The scam was executed through a deceptive WhatsApp message posing as a traffic challan notice.
The Deceptive Link and Malware Attack
The case originated from a complaint filed by Ramesh Singh Rawat, a resident of Maloya in Chandigarh, on December 25, 2025. According to the FIR registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Rawat received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The message contained a link titled "MPparivahan APK," which appeared to be related to a pending traffic challan.
Believing the message to be legitimate, the complainant clicked on the link. Immediately afterwards, his mobile phone began malfunctioning and became unresponsive, indicating the successful installation of malicious software. Subsequently, he was bombarded with multiple OTPs, calls, and messages from unknown numbers.
It was during this chaos that unauthorised transactions were initiated from his credit cards. Investigators found that Rs 1,36,294 was fraudulently withdrawn from his AU Small Finance Bank credit card, while another Rs 1,90,000Rs 3,26,294.
Police revealed that critical banking messages, OTPs, and transaction alerts were deliberately deleted from the victim's phone to delay the detection of the fraud.
Money Trail: Gift Cards and Online Gold Laundering
During a detailed investigation, the Cyber Police meticulously traced the path of the stolen funds. They discovered that the defrauded money was first used to purchase various gift cards. These gift cards were then redeemed to buy online gold.
The physical gold coins, purchased with the illicit funds, were delivered in the Delhi-NCR region. This method indicated a calculated attempt to conceal and launder the proceeds of the crime by converting digital cash into a tangible, high-value asset.
The police team successfully linked the SIM cards used in the fraud to the delivery of this gold, which became a crucial lead in tracking down the accused.
Arrest and Recovery
Based on the evidence, the police arrested the accused, identified as Devansh Goyal (23), from Gurugram in Haryana. At the time of his arrest, authorities recovered an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a mobile number allegedly used to commit the cyber fraud.
Police officials stated that the investigation is still in its preliminary stages. They believe that further custodial interrogation of the accused will help map the complete money trail and potentially identify and apprehend other members of the cyber fraud racket involved in this scheme.
DSP (Cyber Crime) A Venkatesh issued a stern warning to the public in light of this case. He advised people to exercise extreme caution and avoid clicking on unknown links or downloading APK files, especially those claiming to be from traffic police, Parivahan services, or other government departments. He emphasized that such messages are commonly used as bait to trap unsuspecting victims.
The arrest underscores the evolving tactics of cybercriminals who are increasingly using sophisticated laundering methods like online gold purchases to cover their tracks, while also highlighting the vigilance of Chandigarh's cyber cell in tackling such digital offences.
