A cyber fraud case linked to a fake RTO challan call has surfaced in Indore, where a woman lost over Rs 84,000 after a caller posed as a bank official.

Complaint Filed After Fraud

A case of cyber fraud involving a fake RTO challan payment call has been registered in Indore after a woman allegedly lost more than Rs 84,000 from her bank account. The FIR was lodged at the MIG Police Station following a complaint investigated earlier by the state cyber cell.

Police said the accused contacted the victim while posing as an official from Bank of India and used the pretext of an alleged traffic challan linked to her car to gain access to sensitive banking information.

Caller Posed As Bank Officer

According to officials, 48-year-old Rashmi Agrawal received a phone call on May 21, 2025, from an unknown mobile number. The caller introduced himself as an officer from BOI Bank and informed her that an RTO challan had been generated against her vehicle.

The caller allegedly told her that the pending amount would need to be paid through a debit card transaction. During the conversation, he started asking for debit card-related details.

The complainant later informed police that she had not been using her debit card for several years and did not remember the card number.

Phone Kept On Hold

Police said the accused then claimed he would “check the card details” from the bank’s end and asked the woman to keep the call on hold for around two minutes. Shortly afterward, the call got disconnected.

At that stage, the victim reportedly did not suspect that any fraudulent activity had taken place.

However, later in the evening, when she checked her account balance, she found that more than Rs 84,000 had already been withdrawn from the account.

Multiple Transactions Detected

The following day, the woman visited her bank branch to get her passbook updated. She allegedly discovered that only Rs 49 remained in the account.

Sources familiar with the matter said the account statement showed that money had been withdrawn through more than four separate transactions using different digital payment applications.

Investigators are currently examining the transaction trail and the mobile number used in the call. Officials suspect the fraud may be linked to a wider cyber network targeting bank customers through fake verification calls and traffic challan alerts.

WhatsApp Account Also Affected

In her complaint, the victim also stated that the WhatsApp account linked to her bank number disappeared shortly after the unauthorized transactions were completed.

Cyber experts associated with the probe believe fraudsters may have attempted to gain control of communication channels connected to the registered mobile number to avoid detection or OTP alerts.

Police have not yet confirmed whether SIM cloning or remote access methods were involved. Technical analysis of the digital activity is underway.

Rise In Cyber Fraud Cases

Cyber fraud cases involving fake banking alerts, KYC updates and traffic challan messages have seen a steady rise across several cities in Madhya Pradesh over the past year.

Officials have repeatedly advised citizens not to share debit card numbers, CVV details, OTPs or banking credentials over phone calls, even if the caller claims to represent a bank or government department.

Police said immediate reporting often helps in freezing suspicious transactions before the amount is fully transferred or withdrawn.

Investigation Underway

The State Cyber Cell had initially received the complaint before the matter was transferred for FIR registration and detailed investigation.

Local authorities confirmed that efforts are being made to trace the caller and identify the accounts or applications through which the money was routed. No arrests had been made till late evening on Monday.

The fake RTO challan cyber fraud case from Indore has once again highlighted how fraudsters are using routine administrative claims to target unsuspecting bank customers.