Former Haryana DGP’s WhatsApp Account Hacked, Cyber Fraudsters Demand Money

The WhatsApp number of former Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana, Nirmal Singh, has reportedly been hacked by cyber criminals. After gaining access to the account, the fraudsters sent messages to his contacts asking for money. According to the information available, most of his acquaintances quickly recognized the messages as fraudulent. However, a head constable from Ambala fell victim to the scam and transferred ₹40,000 to the fraudsters. Following the incident, Nirmal Singh lodged a complaint against the cyber criminals. Nirmal Singh stated that around 4:00 PM on March 9, he received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed that a parcel had arrived in his name and suggested that he could call from his phone to inquire about it. During the conversation, the caller obtained the WhatsApp OTP from him and used it to activate Singh’s WhatsApp account on another device. After taking control of the account, the cyber criminals began sending messages to all his contacts requesting money. While most recipients identified the suspicious language of the messages, the head constable from Ambala transferred the amount believing the request to be genuine. Based on the complaint filed by the former DGP, the cyber police station in Panchkula has registered a case and started an investigation into the matter. It is noteworthy that IPS officer Nirmal Singh was appointed as the DGP of Haryana in July 2005 and retired from the position on October 31, 2006.