WHO'S TO SAY that school dropouts aren't intelligent? Many hold the belief that a formal school education is the only way to acquire knowledge and expertise. However, an 18-year-old teenager, who is a class 11th dropout, has proved otherwise. No need to get up and start clapping just yet, as the teen used his skills to commit crime and helped pull off a Rs 64.28 crore cyber fraud. 

On July 20, 2026, Gujarat’s Surat Cyber Crime Cell arrested app developer Rohit Virendra Singh Shakya from a hotel in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after it was revealed that the 18-year-old is the mastermind behind a nation-wide cyber fraud network. Rohit, who had dropped out of school after class 11, allegedly created fake banking apps and government  mobile applications that were used in money frauds. Around Rs 64 crore were siphoned off via these apps across India.

Even though he had quit school after class 11, Rohit was a seasoned coder and used his skills to develop malicious Android (APK) files using artificial intelligence. By the age of 16, he acquired advanced coding skills and started creating fake mobile applications that were close replicas of official banking, government, and other private-sector apps.

As per the Surat Police, Rohit would then sell these apps to cybercriminal groups via Telegram, on a monthly-subscription basis, charging them Rs 15,000 per month per application for customized versions along with regular app updates.

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It was revealed that the accused had developed two apps for the money fraud. The first app was infected with malware. The malicious software would gain access to a user’s sensitive information when they unknowingly installed the app on their mobile phones. The second was an admin application which permitted cyber criminals to illicitly view an user’s one time passwords (OTPs), banking passwords, and other confidential information. By having access to this sensitive information, cybercriminals could transfer money from the victim’s account to theirs.

The fake banking apps that Rohit created were almost exact replicas of authentic applications like those of State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Union Bank, UCO Bank, American Express, BigBasket; and other government applications like the Aadhaar services, PM Kisan and RTO challan payment portals. 

How Did The Rs 64.35 Crore Cyber Fraud Come to Light?

In May 2026, a user lost Rs 5 lakhs after falling victim to one of the fake apps created by Rohit. As per a complaint filed by the victim, he had received a link to Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) One APK app via WhatsApp and believing it to be genuine, downloaded it. Cybercriminals stole Rs 5 lakhs from his bank account with the fake app. The victim then contacted the National Cyber Helpline (1930), after which Surat Cyber Crime registered an FIR and began an investigation.

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During investigation, digital forensic experts found that Rohit had created around 121 fake APK mobile applications. Around 21,672 mobile phones across India downloaded the fake apps, out of which 2,928 became fully compromised. Around 54,094 fraudulent banking transactions took place via the fake apps, leading to around Rs 64.38 crore getting reportedly stolen. Among the fake applications, RTO challan apps were used in the highest number of fraud cases, followed by fake SBI and PNB banking applications.

Police said the malicious apps were supplied through Telegram to organised cybercrime gangs operating mainly from Jamtara in Jharkhand, as well as networks in Haryana and Rajasthan. The software was allegedly provided on a paid subscription basis, with regular maintenance and updates for users.

During the accused’s arrest, police seized two mobile phones and a laptop. Digital forensic experts are examining the devices to gather further evidence.

(Edited by Ritik Singh)

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