New scam alert amid LPG crisis: Maharashtra women sign 'gas info update' form, duped of Rs 4 lakh

Two women from Maharashtra's Kalyan-Dombivli area fell prey to online fraudsters promising them updates on gas information, taking advantage of the LPG shortage across India. According to ACP Suhas Hemade, the victims lost around Rs 4 lakhs after they filled out a form on their phones to get 'gas information update.'

"Two women received a call from an unknown caller, acting to be calling from Mahanagar Gas Limited and asked them to download and open an APK file to fill a form on their phones. After these two complainants filled out the form, around Rs 4 lakhs got debited from their bank accounts," the ACP said adding that two cases of online financial fraud have been registered in Dombivli Police Station.

This comes as several Indian cities are reeling with shortage of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders, which has also triggered panic buying and hoarding in various locations.

Apart from Maharashtra, incidents of scam have surfaced in Telangana as well. Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, on March 11, alerted the public about the scam underway in the name of gas booking and cautioned against letting cybercriminals take advantage of the crisis.

"They're running fake ads on social media, promising immediate cylinder delivery and extra cylinders. Through WhatsApp and SMS, they're sending links to fake websites to trap people," the Commissioner posted on X.

"In particular, if you receive messages that seem convincing, saying they'll guarantee or urgently supply gas if you pay money online first, people should realize these are definitely cyber scams. Under no circumstances should you click on such suspicious links," he further wrote. He also advised that one should not share their bank account details, OTP, UPI PIN, or similar information with unknown individuals.