Mumbai Judge Falls Victim to Cyber Fraud, Losing ₹93,000
Cyber Fraud Targeting Judicial Officials
Mumbai, April 1: A troubling incident of cyber fraud has emerged, involving a sitting judge from a city court in Mumbai who was swindled out of ₹93,000 by cybercriminals utilizing a deceptive customer care application to access his banking information.
The 46-year-old judge, who serves at the Small Causes Court, sought technical help after experiencing a display issue on his mobile device on March 30. In his search for assistance online, he stumbled upon a contact number that claimed to be Samsung's customer service. Upon calling, he was connected to a scammer impersonating a customer support representative.
As reported by the Mumbai Police, the fraudster sent an APK file to the judge via WhatsApp, instructing him to download it. He was also asked to pay a small registration fee of ₹20 through Google Pay. Unaware of the deception, the judge complied and installed the application, which granted the scammer remote access to his phone and sensitive banking details.
Shortly after, two unauthorized transactions totaling ₹93,000 were executed from the judge’s State Bank of India (SBI) account. Upon realizing he had been defrauded, the judge reported the incident to the police.
The Mumbai Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Tardeo Police Station against an unidentified suspect, and an investigation is currently in progress.
In a related case on the same day, authorities apprehended a 25-year-old man from Jharkhand for allegedly defrauding a Bombay High Court judge of ₹6.02 lakh in a cyber scam. The suspect, identified as Mazhar Alam Israil Miyan, hails from Jamtara, a region notorious for cybercrime.
Investigators revealed that Alam is linked to at least 36 cyber fraud cases across ten states. His arrest was a collaborative effort between the Jamtara Cyber Cell and the Karmatand Police.
Additionally, another alarming case underscores the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals. A 69-year-old retired senior officer from the DN Nagar area of Andheri in Mumbai was reportedly subjected to a so-called 'digital arrest' for 25 days, resulting in a loss of ₹1.57 crore.
In this instance, the fraudsters impersonated police and court officials, even conducting a mock court hearing via video call, invoking the name of a former Supreme Court judge to intimidate the victim. Following the complaint, the Mumbai Police Cyber Cell arrested an auto-rickshaw driver, Ashok Pal, who allegedly facilitated the routing of the stolen funds through his bank account for a commission.
The ordeal began on December 6, 2025, when the victim received a call from someone claiming to be a Department of Telecommunications official, alleging misuse of his mobile number and threatening legal repercussions.
Authorities are urging the public to exercise caution when seeking online technical support and to refrain from downloading applications or sharing sensitive information with unverified sources.