&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Welcome. Shadi mein zarur...': Wedding invite leads Maharashtra man to lose ₹2 lakhs - Here's what we know")
A government worker from Hingoli district in Maharashtra lost nearly ₹2 lakh after being tricked by a fake wedding invitation on WhatsApp. According to sources, the victim got a message from an unknown number with details of a wedding on August 30. The text read: “Welcome. Shadi mein zarur aye (Do come to the wedding). 30/08/2025. Love is the master key that opens the gate of happiness.” Below the message appeared what looked like a PDF wedding card, but it was actually an APK (Android application) file meant to hack the phone.
Once the victim clicked on it, hackers got access to personal information and soon stole ₹1.9 lakh from the account. A case has been registered at Hingoli police station and the cyber cell is investigating, according to NDTV.
The wedding invitation scam was first reported last year after several people lost money in it. The scam begins with a fake wedding invite sent on WhatsApp. Once the link is clicked, it installs an APK file that lets cybercriminals monitor the victim’s phone. Last year, the Himachal Pradesh Cyber Police had warned people to stay alert and avoid downloading files from unknown sources.
In a separate case, Maharashtra Police arrested seven people in Thane in Maharashtra, for running a cyber fraud racket. As reported by PTI, the group was operating from Goa and used fake job offers to cheat people. Inspector Atul Adurkar explained that the gang asked job seekers to open bank accounts in their own names and then handed over the passbook, ATM card and SIM card to the fraudsters. These details were later used for cybercrimes. The fraud came to light when one job seeker, who never got the promised job, checked with his bank and found that his account was being used for illegal transactions.
