Reported by Urban Acres
A Surat scrap dealer lost ₹57,000 after allegedly clicking on a fraudulent M-Parivahan e-challan link that appeared to be an official traffic-fine communication, according to a complaint registered at Amroli police station.
The complainant, identified as Vijay Parmar, received the link after his younger brother was sent a message asking him to pay an outstanding challan online. Since a traffic challan was pending against his brother’s two-wheeler, Parmar asked him to forward the message so that he could make the payment himself.
The message appeared to come from M-Parivahan and directed the recipient towards an online payment process. Parmar clicked on the link after receiving it on WhatsApp, but no payment page appeared. He later deleted the message, according to the account recorded in the first information report.
The complaint states that the fraudsters allegedly obtained access to Parmar’s banking details after he opened the link. Several one-time passwords were subsequently sent to his phone, but Parmar deleted them without realising that unauthorised transactions were being carried out from his account.
He discovered later that ₹57,000 had been withdrawn from his bank account. The complaint does not state whether the money was recovered or whether any suspect had been identified at the time of registration.
