In a major breakthrough against digital deception, Jharsuguda Police have apprehended two individuals in connection with a sophisticated fake PhonePe payment fraud.
On September 11, 2026, authorities registered PS Case No. 532 under sections 318(4)/319(2)/336(3)/338/340(2)/3(5) of the BNS, read with Section 66-D of the IT Act, to combat the rising misuse of counterfeit payment applications.
The investigation was triggered after an incident where the accused approached a victim, asking for Rs. 10,900 in cash under the pretext that the equivalent amount would be transferred immediately via PhonePe. The scammers scanned a QR code and displayed a fabricated successful-payment screen to the victim. Trusting the visual confirmation, the victim handed over the cash, only to discover later that no funds had actually been credited to their account.
As the inquiry progressed, Jharsuguda Police uncovered multiple similar complaints involving sums of Rs. 5,000, Rs. 3,500, Rs. 7,000, Rs. 3,000, Rs. 6,000, and Rs. 10,000. The total amount defrauded across these reported incidents stands at Rs. 45,400. Police have arrested 29-year-old Ranjan Barik and 36-year-old Md. Sahbaj, both residents of Ghumadera, PS Belpahar in the Jharsuguda district. During the operation, law enforcement seized one mobile phone and a Bajaj Platina motorcycle bearing the registration number OR 15 K 7236.
According to the police officials, the fraudsters utilized a counterfeit payment APK, often circulated outside authorized app stores via messaging, social media, or file-sharing links. This fake application mimics the exact appearance and payment flow of a genuine UPI application. The fraudsters would behave like normal customers, scan the merchant’s QR code, and enter the purchase amount into their fake interface. The app would then generate a convincing but entirely fabricated success screen—complete with transaction details, animations, and payment-like sounds—despite no actual bank transfer taking place. Authorities have explicitly clarified that the genuine PhonePe platform is not responsible for generating these fake transactions; the fraud relies entirely on an allegedly fake or imitated interface.
The Superintendent of Police has issued a strong public advisory regarding this digital fraud trend. Citizens and shopkeepers are urged not to rely solely on a customer’s payment screen, screenshot, or payment sound.
- Confirm the credit in your own bank account or a genuine UPI/merchant app.
- Do not hand over cash or goods until the payment is actually received.
- Avoid installing payment APKs received through unknown links or file-sharing platforms.
- Report any suspicious digital-payment fraud to the police or cybercrime authorities without delay.
