Sri Vijaya Puram | January 16, 2026
Tarun Karthick
A hotel owner from Swaraj Dweep has fallen victim to an online financial fraud after being duped of ₹40,000 by cyber fraudsters posing as customer care executives of a popular OTA (Online Travel Agency).
According to the FIR registered at Swaraj Dweep Police Station, the incident occurred on November 6, 2025, when the hotel owner was at his establishment in Govind Nagar Market. A guest informed him about a room booking allegedly made through an online travel portal. However, the hotel owner did not receive any official confirmation or notification regarding the booking.
In an attempt to verify the issue, the hotel owner searched online for the customer care number of the booking platform and contacted a number displayed in Google Search Results. During the call, the person on the other end claimed to be from customer support and asked the hotel owner to communicate via WhatsApp.
The fraudster subsequently sent an APK File (Customer Support.apk) and instructed the hotel owner to install it, claiming it would help access booking details. Soon after installing the application and opening his UPI payment app on the instruction of the fraudster, the hotel owner noticed abnormal behaviour of his mobile phone. On checking his bank account later, he discovered that ₹40,000 had been fraudulently debited from his State Bank of India account.
Realising that he had been cheated, the hotel owner immediately lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on the same day. Following an enquiry by the Cyber Crime Police Station, directions were issued by senior officers to formally register an FIR at Swaraj Dweep Police Station.
