Tamil Nadu Couple Loses Over Rs 24 Lakh After Child Downloads Malware On Phone; Police Find Bihar Connection
When the couple visited their bank, they were shocked to know that Rs 24,69,600 had disappeared from their bank accounts linked to the phone numbers.
Published : March 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM IST
Theni: A family in Tamil Nadu got the shock of their life after they found out that cybercriminals had duped their 8-year-old child and siphoned off nearly Rs 25 lakh from the couple's bank accounts.
Sivanesan (42), a grocery store operator in Thevaram area of Theni district in the southern state, and his wife, who runs a jewelry pawn shop, had saved their hard-earned money in their bank accounts.
Recently, when the couple visited their bank, they were informed that Rs 24,69,600 had disappeared from the three bank accounts linked to their phone numbers. Shocked, they approached the bank manager, who told them that the money had been transferred to different bank accounts in various installments.
A perturbed Sivanesan filed a complaint with the Theni Cyber Crime Police, which registered a case and started an investigation into the matter.
Police checked Sivanesan's phone and found out that his 8-year-old daughter had frequently downloaded and played video games on the phone. While doing so, the child had unknowingly also downloaded an application through which cyber criminals had collected the couple's bank account details and managed to transfer their money to nine different accounts.
As the cyber police officials followed the money trail, they came to know that one of the bank accounts was in the name of Arjun Kumar, a 22-year-old youth from Patna, Bihar.
Following it, the Cyber Crime Police formed a team headed by Inspector Venkatachalam to arrest Kumar. As the police began to trace his location, they came to know that Kumar was in Bengaluru. The team rushed to Bengaluru, arrested Kumar and brought him to Theni Cyber Crime Police Station.
During interrogation, Kumar claimed he had nothing to do with the cyber-theft. He said the fraudsters would ask him for his bank account details, his phone and SIM card details and would provide him money for it.
He confessed during the interrogation that many of his friends had also given their details and received money. Kumar was later produced before the Theni Judicial Magistrate Court and lodged in the district jail. Theni Cyber Crime Police are making serious efforts to arrest key persons involved in this case, a police official said.
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