An Indore textile trader recovered Rs 1.45 lakh within 24 hours after reporting an online fraud linked to a fake electricity-bill message, the city Crime Branch said. The recovery was completed before the money could be deposited into suspected accounts, according to police.
The complainant, identified by police as Vishal, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The sender claimed to be an official from the electricity department and warned that power supply to the trader’s premises would be disconnected at 9:30 pm because of an unpaid bill.
The message included a link and instructed him to use it to pay the alleged outstanding amount. After the complainant clicked on the link, Rs 1,45,000 was transferred from his credit card, police said.
He then filed a complaint immediately through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, or NCRP. The portal is the central reporting mechanism through which citizens can alert authorities about cybercrime and suspected digital financial fraud.
Following the complaint, Constables Anil Sharma and Virendra Yadav of the Crime Branch’s cyber fraud investigation team took action, according to the police. The team traced the transaction and initiated steps before the money could move further through the suspected accounts.
Police said the entire amount had been routed through No Broker Merchant. The money was subsequently refunded to the complainant within 24 hours, although the police report did not provide further details about the merchant account or the banking process used for the reversal.
The incident highlights how fraudulent messages can exploit routine civic services such as electricity billing. By presenting the message as an urgent departmental warning and setting a specific disconnection time, the sender pressured the recipient to act quickly through an unfamiliar payment link.
For residents, the case also underlines the importance of reporting a digital financial loss without delay. The recovery was possible, police said, because the complaint was lodged promptly and action was taken before the amount reached the suspected destination accounts.
The police report did not state whether the sender had been identified or whether arrests had been made. The next steps in the case, including tracing the unknown number and examining the merchant channel through which the money was routed, remain with the cyber-fraud investigation team.
