Rs 5 Payment, Rs 12 Lakh Loss: Pune Retired Banker Targeted in SIR Cyber Scam
Kothrud, 27th August 2026: A 77-year-old retired bank officer from Kothrud allegedly lost Rs 12 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as Election Commission of India officials targeted him with a fake Special Intensive Revision (SIR) form correction request.
The incident took place on August 18, when the fraudsters contacted the senior citizen and claimed that his father’s name needed to be corrected in the electoral roll enumeration form. He was directed to complete the correction through a link shared with him and was asked to pay Rs 5 as a processing fee.
The victim followed the instructions and clicked on the link. According to the police, this resulted in remote-access software being installed on his mobile phone, potentially allowing the fraudsters to gain access to sensitive information.
The fraudsters allegedly obtained his banking details after he made the Rs 5 payment. Later that night, Rs 12 lakh was transferred from his bank account without his authorisation.
The incident is the fourth reported cyber fraud case in Pune in which criminals have allegedly exploited the ongoing SIR exercise to target citizens.
The retired officer had initially submitted a complaint to the cyber police. Following verification of the complaint, Kothrud police registered an FIR on Tuesday and began investigating the case.
According to the FIR, the victim had decided to complete the enumeration process after the SIR exercise began in Pune on June 29. He visited an SIR assistance centre in Kothrud, completed the required process and submitted his form.
Police are investigating how the fraudsters obtained the victim’s details and accessed his banking information. Citizens have been advised to exercise caution while responding to messages or links claiming to be related to electoral roll corrections and to avoid installing remote-access applications at the direction of unknown callers.
