Rajkot senior citizen loses life savings after opening wedding invite APK on WhatsApp

Rajkot: A 70-year-old retired government employee from Supedi village in Dhoraji taluka allegedly lost his life savings of ₹6.57 lakh after opening an APK file sent to him on WhatsApp in the guise of a digital wedding invitation.

The victim, Jayantilal Pragjibhai Bhesdadiya, a retired talati mantri from Supedi village, lives with his wife. Both of his daughters are married. Bhesdadiya was using his mobile phone when he received the wedding invitation file through a WhatsApp group. The file initially did not open, but after he managed to open it, his family suspected that the phone had been compromised.

Soon after, cyber fraudsters allegedly carried out multiple transactions and withdrew a total of ₹6.57 lakh from his bank account. The fraud came to light after he received messages from the bank notifying him of the transactions.

The incident was not limited to the financial loss. After the phone was allegedly compromised, the suspicious APK file was reportedly forwarded automatically to more than 300 contacts and several WhatsApp groups in Supedi village, triggering concern among residents.

Bhesdadiya’s family subsequently lodged a written complaint with the police and the cybercrime cell. Officials have begun investigating the case and are also looking into whether other people were affected after receiving the same file.

Police and cybercrime officials have urged people not to open APK files, links or other suspicious attachments received from unknown numbers or WhatsApp groups. Anyone who suspects they have fallen victim to an online financial fraud can contact the cybercrime helpline at 1930. DeshGujarat