Mumbai Police have arrested a man from Jharkhand’s Jamtara for allegedly cheating a judge of the Bombay High Court in a cyber fraud worth over ₹6 lakh.
The accused, identified as Mazhar Alam Israil Miyan (25), was taken into custody following a complaint by the victim. He was arrested by the Cuffe Parade Police with assistance from the Jamtara Cyber Cell and Karmatand Police. Investigators said the fraud, amounting to around ₹6.02 lakh, was carried out through a credit card reward points scam using fake customer care numbers and a phishing application.
Police revealed that the accused is allegedly linked to at least 36 cases registered across 10 states, pointing to a wider cybercrime network.
The incident occurred on February 28, when the judge attempted to contact his bank’s customer care to redeem credit card reward points. Unable to reach the official helpline, he searched online and dialled a fake number set up by fraudsters.
According to investigators, the scammers sent a WhatsApp link asking him to download an APK file. When the 18 MB application did not open on his iPhone, the callers, posing as customer care executives, suggested using an Android device. Following their instructions, he inserted his SIM card into his domestic help’s Android phone and downloaded the app. As soon as he entered his credit card details, nearly ₹6 lakh was transferred fraudulently.
After realising the fraud, the judge approached Mumbai Police, who tracked down and arrested the accused after about 10 days of investigation.
Officials said such cyber frauds often involve phishing, fake apps, and deceptive links to steal sensitive information. They also warned that email and messaging-based scams remain among the most common methods used by cybercriminals, exploiting users’ lack of vigilance.
With inputs from IANS