Cyber fraudster held for hacking mobile phone of Kannada actor Upendra, his wife
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Bengaluru (PTI): In a major breakthrough, the city police have arrested a cybercriminal from Bihar, who allegedly hacked the mobile phones of Sandalwood actor Upendra and his wife, actress Priyanka Upendra, and cheated several people by impersonating them on WhatsApp, police said.
The accused, Vikas Kumar, was brought to Bengaluru after being traced to Dashrathpur village in Bihar.
"There was a cyber crime case reported in Central division. Our officers cracked the case on time and amount is also being recovered. The complainant had reported the matter during the ‘golden hour’, which helped us recover the money," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told reporters.
According to him, the fraudsters had adopted a new modus operandi, where they provided the information they had asked for such as details of the mobile phone.
"We request people not to get trapped and in case, they get caught, then they should immediately inform police, which will help us to detect the case," the Police Commissioner said.
He added that the actor and his family had lost Rs 1.5 lakh. Since there are many people involved in this case, recovery of money is not easy.
Police sources said the incident took place on September 15, when Priyanka Upendra, who had ordered some items online, received a suspicious link on her mobile phone. Believing it to be genuine, she clicked on it, allowing hackers to gain remote access to her WhatsApp account.
Soon after, several of her contacts began receiving fraudulent messages, requesting an urgent transfer of Rs 55,000, supposedly for an emergency.
Unaware of the fraud, a few acquaintances, including the couple’s own son, transferred money to the account details mentioned in the messages.
When some of them tried calling Priyanka to confirm, their calls were abruptly disconnected—further deepening the deception. Within a short span, the fraudsters had managed to siphon off nearly Rs 1.5 lakh.
Realising something was wrong, Priyanka immediately informed her husband and their manager. However, by then, both of their phones had also been compromised by the same hackers.
The couple then approached the Sadashivanagar Police Station, where a formal complaint was lodged.
The police launched a coordinated investigation along with the Central Division Cyber Crime Unit, tracking digital footprints to Bihar.
Their probe revealed that the hackers belonged to Dashrathpur village, notorious for cyber scams, where dozens of young men aged between 20 and 25 are reportedly engaged in online fraud.
Officers who visited the area were shocked to discover that around 150 youths from the village were actively involved in similar crimes targeting victims across the country.
Based on the technical evidence and surveillance inputs, the team zeroed in on Vikas Kumar, who was subsequently arrested and brought to Bengaluru for questioning.
He is currently under police custody, and further investigation is underway to identify his associates and their network behind the cyber fraud.
Speaking to reporters, Upendra said since they had reported the matter within an hour of the incident, the entire network of fraudster was busted.
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Deepfakes significant threat to democracy: President Murmu
New Delhi (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said deepfake and misinformation were becoming significant threats to democracy and social harmony, and urged lawmakers to deliberate on this grave issue.
In her address to both Houses of Parliament, she said in view of the dangers arising due to misuse of AI, it is imperative to be serious on this issue.
"Deepfake, misinformation, and fake content are becoming significant threats to democracy, social harmony, and public trust. It is essential that all of you deliberate on this grave issue," the President said.
She called for cultivating innovation at the classroom level, and made a strong pitch for early exposure to science, technology and creative problem-solving in schools.
"Today, technology is evolving rapidly. As a result of this, the nature of jobs is also changing at a fast pace. Therefore, the National Education Policy has been designed to meet the needs of both, the present and the future," the President said.
She said right at the school level, children are being nurtured to have a mindset for technology and innovation.
"The Atal Innovation Mission is playing an effective role in this. So far, over one crore students across the country have benefitted from Atal Tinkering Labs," the President said, adding that the culture of research and development is also being promoted through Anusandhan National Research Foundation.
Murmu said one thousand ITIs were being made future-ready for upgrading the ITI network in the country.
"On this account, Rs 60,000 crore is being spent under the PM Setu Scheme. My government is preparing an industry-ready workforce for modern technology. So far, 60 thousand youth have been trained for the semiconductor industry. Ten lakh youth are being trained in the field of Artificial Intelligence," the President said.
