Retired IAF Officer in Pune Loses ₹5 Lakh to Cybercriminal Impersonating Bank Official

Pune: A 73-year-old retired Indian Air Force officer from Kondhwa was duped of ₹5 lakh after a cybercriminal posing as a bank representative convinced him to download a fake application and share his banking details.

According to police, the officer had submitted his annual Life Certificate — a mandatory document for pensioners — at his bank’s Kondhwa branch on November 3. The branch emailed confirmation to both him and the pension-disbursing office in New Delhi. However, when he tried contacting the Delhi branch to verify the submission, he couldn’t reach them.

While searching for the branch’s contact number online, he received a call from someone claiming to be a bank official. Offering to “assist” him, the caller asked the pensioner to download an APK file and enter sensitive information, including his debit card number and CVV.

Moments after entering these details, he received a notification that his transaction limit had been increased. Soon after, an IMPS transfer of ₹5 lakh was made from his account. The officer also received several calls from an unknown number warning him of suspicious activity, but he ignored them, believing the supposed bank official was genuine.

Realizing he had been cheated, he immediately blocked his bank account and filed an online complaint. Following a preliminary probe, Kondhwa Police registered an FIR on Wednesday and have begun further investigation.

Police have appealed to citizens, especially senior citizens, to avoid downloading unknown apps and to never share banking details over the phone.