Thane (PTI): A 72-year-old retired railway employee has lost Rs 7.38 lakh to cyber fraudsters who tricked him to share confidential details by claiming that his bank account was blocked for want of KYC update, a Thane district police official said on Wednesday.

The complainant received a call on February 4 and the caller told him that his bank account was being blocked as he had not updated mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer) documents.

"The victim was not well-versed with technology and simply followed the instructions of the caller on sharing financial details like secret ATM passwords and details of savings accounts on his phone. The fraudsters debited money from the bank accounts of the man and his wife including his monthly pension and retirement savings. The debited amount was subsequently invested in a Fixed Deposit," the official said.

A case was registered under sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act against two unidentified men and further investigation is underway.

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Dewas/Indore (PTI): At least three workers were killed and 15 persons injured after a fire broke out following an explosion at a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district on Thursday, an official said.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and ordered an investigation. The state government will provide an assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, and the injured will receive free treatment, he said in a post on X.

Three persons were killed in the fire at the firecracker unit located in Tonk Kalan area, and around 15 injured persons were sent to hospitals in Indore and Dewas, Collector Rituraj Singh told reporters after inspecting the site.

Videos of the aftermath surfaced on social media, showing thick white smoke billowing from the factory along the Agra–Mumbai national highway. The clips also showed people rushing the injured for treatment amid cries for help, with body parts seen scattered at the site.

The collector said the fire has been brought under control. The administration has taken possession of explosives stored at another location within the unit, he said.

The work to manufacture small firecrackers at the factory of a person named Anil Malviya had begun only 15 days ago, and a licence has been issued for the unit, the collector said.

A detailed investigation is underway into the incident, he added.

CM Yadav said, "I have directed Deputy Chief Minister and Dewas district guardian minister Jagdish Devda, the home secretary and senior officials to visit the spot. An inquiry has also been ordered into the incident."

Local residents said there was a massive explosion at the factory, and the victims' body parts were found scattered far away from the site.

They said construction work was underway at the site and different sheds were being built there.