Background and Timeline: The Cyber Crime Police of Chandigarh achieved a breakthrough on Friday, January 30, 2026, by dismantling a localized phishing ring. The investigation was triggered on January 13 after the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic) received a highly suspicious SMS on his own device. This high-priority probe focused on a nationwide wave of fake traffic violation alerts that have been draining bank accounts in minutes.
Modus Operandi: Fraudsters used bulk SMS tools to circulate fake “traffic violation” notices that mimic official government servers like VAHAN or the Parivahan portal. The messages claimed a violation had been detected via camera surveillance and urged immediate payment of a small fine via an included web link. Once the victim clicked the link and entered credentials, the fraudsters captured the data to execute unauthorized international transactions worth lakhs of rupees.
Victims and Financial Impact: While the specific total is under audit, similar “e-challan” traps have cost individual victims up to ₹3.96 lakh in a single transaction sequence. In one related case, a resident entered details for a ₹500 fine and immediately lost over ₹2.5 lakh through an international transaction route. The syndicate targeted city residents across Chandigarh, leveraging fear and urgency to prevent victims from verifying the claims on official portals.
Investigation and Agencies Involved: A special team led by SP (Cyber Crime) Geetanjali Khandelwal conducted technical analysis and KYC verification of the suspect mobile numbers. Investigators traced the fraudulent messages to at least four different mobile numbers originating from the Banda district in Uttar Pradesh. The police raid was coordinated with local UP authorities, and forensic examination of the recovered phones confirmed they were used to send mass phishing messages.
Arrests and Suspects: Two 19-year-old suspects were arrested and produced before a magistrate: Shalender Kumar of Rath district, UP, and Mahender Singh of Banda district, UP. These youths are suspected of being ground-level operatives responsible for the distribution of malicious links on behalf of a larger interstate syndicate. Authorities are currently interrogating the duo to identify the technical masterminds who developed the fake payment pages.
Broader Implications and Trends: This wave signals a transition toward “Administrative Smishing” where criminals exploit everyday digital touchpoints like traffic fines to harvest banking data. It underscores the urgent need for citizens to verify all traffic challans exclusively through the official government website. Police clarified that legitimate e-challan notifications are never sent from personal mobile numbers or third-party shortened URLs.