Fake poll officials use APK files to cheat two Pune elders of Rs 13 lakh

Two elderly men in Pune lost more than Rs 13 lakh between them after fraudsters posing as Election Commission of India officials tricked them into installing malicious app files on their phones, according to police cases reported on 10 and 11 October 2026. A 78-year-old resident of Ghorpadi lost about Rs 8 lakh after a caller claimed his voter documents did not match and sent him a link; a case was registered at Mundhwa police station on 10 October. An 80-year-old in Yerawada was told his voter ID needed updating, was asked to install an APK file, and then saw Rs 5 lakh moved out of his bank account; that case was filed at Lakshminagar police station. A local news site separately reported a similar voter-list "correction" scam against a 77-year-old in Balewadi, registered with Baner police.

This scam works because it borrows the authority of a trusted institution at a moment when voter lists are in the news. People who hear that their voter record is wrong may fear losing their right to vote, and older citizens are more likely to follow an "official" caller's instructions without question. The fraudster's real goal is not the voter ID at all. It is to get an APK file onto the phone.

APK files are how Android apps are installed outside the official Play Store. A malicious one can ask for powerful permissions, such as the ability to read the screen, see incoming text messages or control the phone remotely. Once that happens, the criminal can watch the victim type banking passwords and one-time passwords, and move money without the victim noticing until it is gone. Police in several states have been warning about APK files sent over WhatsApp and SMS for exactly this reason.

For young readers, this is a family safety issue as much as a personal one. Many elderly parents and grandparents use smartphones for banking but are less familiar with how apps are installed or what permissions mean. A short conversation at home, setting a simple rule that no one in the family installs an app from a link or a message, and turning on settings that block installs from unknown sources, can prevent losses like these.

Short-term: Pune police are investigating the cases, and residents, especially older people, are being urged to treat any call about voter records with suspicion.

Long-term: As more public services move online, impersonation of election, tax and police officials is likely to keep growing, making basic digital safety habits, and app-install controls on phones, essential in every household.

Who is affected: Senior citizens and their families, anyone who uses mobile banking on an Android phone, and police cybercrime units dealing with app-based fraud.

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