NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended a cyber fraudster from Patna for exploiting the logo of the Delhi Jal Board to deceive unsuspecting individuals into downloading a malicious software on their mobile devices in order to steal sensitive information, as per authorities.
The suspect, identified as Bittu Kumar, was taken into custody at a petrol station in Patna on Thursday while attempting to withdraw cash using a debit card, the CBI disclosed in a press release. Kumar is currently being transported to Delhi for further investigation.
CBI arrests accused Bittu Kumar, from Patna, Bihar in a Cyber Fraud case using Delhi Jal Board (DJB) logo pic.twitter.com/PZGNGBzYvk
— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) April 19, 2025
The CBI initiated an FIR on April 15 following a complaint filed by a woman who fell victim to the scam. She reported that she was misled into installing a mobile application containing malware disguised with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) logo, the statement revealed.
The fraudulent application purported to assist in resolving outstanding water bill concerns and preventing service disconnection. Once installed, the malware allegedly enabled Kumar to infiltrate the victim’s WhatsApp account, financial records, and other confidential data, the CBI stated.
A spokesperson for the CBI disclosed that Kumar exploited the compromised WhatsApp accounts of his targets to disseminate harmful links, thereby initiating a chain of infections.
The suspect utilized the DJB logo as his profile picture to create an illusion of authenticity, the statement added.
“Search operations conducted at three different locations resulted in the seizure of 11 mobile phones, 14 debit cards, cash, a money-counting machine, and other pieces of evidence,” the CBI stated.