– In a recent cybercrime incident, Delhi Police have arrested two individuals, Aniket Kalra (25) and Himanshu Kumar (23), from Gurugram, Haryana, for allegedly hacking Swiggy accounts and orchestrating unauthorized transactions worth Rs 97,000. The accused utilized an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to compromise Swiggy accounts, highlighting evolving challenges in securing user data against sophisticated cyber fraud.
The investigation was initiated when a woman reported a loss of Rs 97,197 from her Lazy Pay account, which was linked with her Swiggy profile. Swiggy has confirmed the association of the fraudulent activities with Lazypay and is actively implementing enhanced security measures to prevent future incidents.
The arrests were made after the victim received an IVR call alerting her to unauthorized access attempts on her Swiggy account. Subsequently, fraudulent orders were placed through her Lazypay account. Analysis revealed that the orders were delivered in Gurugram, and the calling number was linked to an IVR system-generated number.
During interrogation, Aniket revealed his prior employment as a delivery boy for Zomato and Swiggy. He admitted to purchasing grocery items online at discounted rates and reselling them in the market. Ansh, collaborating with Aniket, facilitated the IVR-based calling system to hack Swiggy accounts and execute fraudulent transactions.
Aniket linked phone numbers under fake ownership with victims’ Swiggy accounts, placing orders delivered to random addresses in Gurugram to evade detection. Himanshu, who owns a medical shop in Gurugram, facilitated the transfer of cheated amounts to various UPI IDs and accounts, posing as legitimate transactions.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan stated that the investigation is ongoing to trace co-accused individuals and link the case to others. The incident underscores the need for continuous vigilance and security enhancements on platforms like Swiggy to protect user accounts from evolving cyber threats.
