Panchkula Police arrests accused within 24 hrs of stealing disabled man’s phone, cheating him off Rs 1.07 lakh via UPI

However, during a subsequent visit to his bank, he discovered that a total of Rs 1,07,800 had been withdrawn from his account via multiple UPI transactions without his knowledge. Alarmed by the fraud, he approached the cyber police for help.

Upon receiving the complaint, a special team was constituted under the leadership of Cyber Crime SHO Yudhveer Singh. Using advanced technical analysis and electronic surveillance, the team traced and apprehended the accused within 24 hours.

Investigation revealed that Rahul had stolen the victim’s mobile phone and misused the UPI services linked to the number to withdraw money from the bank account.

A case has been registered against the accused at cybercrime police station in Sector 20, Panchkula. The accused was produced before the court on Sunday, and has been remanded in three days of police custody.

During the remand period, police aim to recover the stolen mobile phone and trace the withdrawn amount.

Meanwhile, Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta urged citizens to immediately report any lost or stolen mobile devices and to secure their digital financial platforms. She emphasised the importance of enabling two-factor authentication, using strong passwords, and remaining vigilant against suspicious transactions.