Chatra, August 30, 2026: A resident of Pandepura village in Hunterganj police station area has reported losing ₹9,999 from his bank account after clicking a link received on WhatsApp.
The complainant, Abdul Jabbar, son of late Qayum Ansari, has approached the cyber crime helpline and filed an FIR at Hunterganj police station. Police have started investigating the case.
Link received from relative’s mobile number
Jabbar’s bank account is with the Bank of India, Hunterganj branch.
According to his complaint, he received a link on WhatsApp on the evening of August 28 from the mobile number of his maternal cousin, Shakir Hussain.
Since the message appeared to come from someone known to him, Jabbar said he did not initially suspect anything unusual and clicked on the link.
He subsequently noticed unusual activity on his mobile phone and suspected that the device may have been compromised. Shortly afterwards, ₹9,999 was withdrawn in a single transaction from his bank account.
He realised that he may have fallen victim to cyber fraud after receiving the bank’s transaction notification.
Remaining money transferred to another account
After learning about the withdrawal, Jabbar acted quickly and transferred the remaining balance in his account to another bank account.
He then contacted the designated cyber crime helpline and reported the incident. He also went to Hunterganj police station and submitted a written complaint.
Hunterganj police register FIR
Hunterganj Inspector-cum-Station House Officer Bipin Kumar said an FIR had been registered and the matter was under investigation.
Police are examining the technical aspects of the alleged fraud, including how the suspicious link was sent from the relative’s mobile number and how the bank account was accessed after the link was opened.
Further legal action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
Police urge caution even with links from known contacts
Police have advised people not to automatically trust links simply because they are received from a familiar phone number.
People should verify suspicious links with the sender by calling them directly before opening them. They should also avoid sharing banking details, OTPs, ATM/debit card information, UPI PINs or other confidential information through links or messages whose authenticity has not been established.
In this case, the use of a known person’s mobile number is part of the police inquiry; the source material does not establish how the number or account was allegedly used to send the link.
