Mumbai Cyber Fraud: Fake Aadhaar Helpline Costs Former Garware Institute Director ₹2.58 Lakh
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai, October 10, 2026: An 81-year-old former director of Garware Institute, Dr Arun Narayan Kshirsagar, allegedly lost Rs 2.58 lakh from his Canara Bank account after contacting a fake Aadhaar helpline number found through a Google search on the Justdial website.
The Bhoiwada police have registered a case against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act and are investigating the cyber fraud.
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Fake helpline found through online search
According to the FIR, Kshirsagar lives with his family at Dr Walimbe Road in Parel Village and holds a savings account with Canara Bank’s Parel branch. Although he does not use any UPI application linked to the account, he regularly accesses the bank’s internet banking facility.
On October 3, at around 11 am, Kshirsagar searched Google for an Aadhaar helpline number to check whether his Aadhaar biometric authentication was functioning properly. During the search, he accessed a website listed on Justdial.com that directed him to a page named Aadhaar Help Centre.
He clicked on a link marked “Call Now” and contacted the mobile number displayed on the page. The person who answered allegedly asked him for his name, Aadhaar number, phone number and email address. The caller then instructed him to pay Rs 5 online as a helpline fee. Kshirsagar refused to make the payment and disconnected the call.
Bank alerts raise suspicion
Soon afterwards, he received nine SMS messages on his mobile phone, several of which reportedly contained one-time passwords (OTPs). He then received a message from Canara Bank informing him that Rs 1.14 had been debited from his account.
Suspecting something was wrong, Kshirsagar immediately contacted the bank’s manager, Devanand Patel, and informed him about the incident. The manager advised him to change his internet banking password, which he did.
Rs 2.58 lakh transferred from account
However, on October 7, at around noon, Kshirsagar received seven more SMS messages purportedly from Canara Bank. He subsequently discovered that a total of Rs 2.58 lakh had been transferred out of his account.
He immediately contacted the bank and requested that his account be blocked. He also lodged a complaint through the national cybercrime helpline number 1930.
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On examining the SMS messages on his mobile phone, Kshirsagar reportedly found indications that calls from his phone were being forwarded to another number. He subsequently approached the Bhoiwada police station and filed a complaint.
The police have registered a case against unidentified persons and are investigating the matter.
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