Army Officer Among Three Duped of Over Rs 11 Lakh in Fake RTO Challan Scams in Pune
Pune, 19th December 2025: Three individuals, including a serving Army officer, were cheated of a total ₹11.33 lakh in separate cases of fake online RTO challans reported across Pune between December 5 and December 15, police said on Wednesday. The incidents were reported at Chatushrungi, Sinhagad Road, and Chinchwad police stations.
In one case, a 49-year-old Army officer residing in Pashan received a message on December 15 containing a link related to an alleged pending traffic challan of ₹590. After clicking the link, he was redirected to a webpage that asked for personal details and a one-time password (OTP). Soon after submitting the information, the officer received an alert indicating that ₹3.83 lakh had been debited from his credit card.
“He immediately understood that something was wrong and approached us. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway,” a Chatushrungi police officer said.
In another incident reported at Sinhagad Road police station, a 42-year-old real estate consultant received a phone call on December 5 from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be an official from the Mumbai Regional Transport Office and informed the victim about a pending challan against his vehicle.
“The complainant told us that shortly after the call, one of his SIM cards stopped working. Later, he received a bank message stating that ₹5 lakh had been transferred from his account through IMPS,” a police officer from Sinhagad Road police station said.
A third case was reported from Chinchwad, where the victim received an APK file on December 5 related to an alleged RTO challan. After opening the file, the fraudsters allegedly gained remote access to the victim’s mobile phone and siphoned off ₹2.5 lakh from his bank accounts.
Police have urged citizens to remain cautious and avoid clicking on unknown links, downloading files, or sharing OTPs related to traffic challans. “Official challans should always be verified only through authorised RTO or government portals,” an investigating officer advised.
