Surat: The Surat Cybercrime police have arrested an 18-year-old from Uttar Pradesh who allegedly developed 121 malicious Android application (APK) files used by the Jamtara cyber fraud network to steal over Rs 65 crore from unsuspecting users across the country.Police said the fake apps were downloaded by 21,672 people, while 2,928 victims collectively lost around Rs 65 crore after installing them. The accused allegedly learnt to develop the APK files through YouTube videos and AI tools before selling them to cyber fraudsters for Rs 15,000 per file on a monthly subscription basis.Additional Commissioner of Police Karanraj Vaghela said the investigation began after a Surat resident downloaded a fake PNB One app and lost Rs 5 lakh from his bank account.“Based on the complaint, we traced the developer of the fake application. The accused, identified as Rohit Sakya, 18, a resident of Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, developed 121 malicious APK files that were supplied to the Jamtara gang. These apps were downloaded by over 21,000 users and were allegedly used to cheat 2,928 people of around Rs 65 crore,” Vaghela said.Police arrested Sakya from a hotel in Kanpur, where he went to meet his girlfriend.According to investigators, the fake apps impersonated well-known banks, govt schemes and popular brands to trick users into installing them. Among the 121 APKs developed by Sakya were fake versions of PNB One, SBI, Axis Bank, UCO Bank, American Express, BigBasket, DMart, PM-Kisan, Pension, RTO Challan, Campa and Customer Support applications.Police said Sakya was developing malicious APK files for the past two years. He allegedly relied on freely available YouTube tutorials and AI-based tools to create the apps and sold them to cybercriminals on a subscription model, charging Rs 15,000 per APK with a validity of one month.ends
