Digital transaction fraud: Man tampers with QR codes, steals ₹25 lakh
PremiumThe accused used to purchase jewellery items or book hotel rooms and then tamper with the digital payment mode while paying the money
A man has been arrested from Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly cheating some jewellers and hoteliers in various states to the tune of ₹25 lakh by tampering with the QR codes. The accused identified as Subramaniam Ramakrishna Iyer allegedly used to purchase jewellery items or book hotel rooms and then tamper with the digital payment mode while paying the money, PTI news agency reported.
After the rejection of his payment for the purchase or booking for want of required funds, he would make the payment of Re 1 in any other account. He would then allegedly tamper with the successful transaction and change the name of the payee and the amount in it to indicate the payment as successful, Police told the agency.
Thereafter the accused used to show the tampered transaction screenshot to the victims of the fraud, to pose as if the payment was done.
The 33-year-old accused used some application to merge both the failed and successful transactions and create a third screenshot that looked similar to the one indicating successful payment.
The fraud came into the light after a victim of the fraud lodged a police complaint in Thane's Vartak Nagar police station of being cheated of ₹97,330, senior inspector Sadashiv Nikam said.
The probe revealed that similar offences were registered at the Shivaji Park and NM Marg police stations in neighbouring Mumbai, Nikam added.
The accused had allegedly cheated 14 jewellers and 32 hoteliers from various places, including in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, and Rajasthan, the official informed.
Based on the complaint, the accused was arrested on Monday and a case was registered against him under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
(With PTI inputs)
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