Hacker booked for fake donation page on state Dept of Industries website

An unknown person has been booked for allegedly hacking the official website of the state’s Department of Industries and for using a fake web page seeking donations for Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The hacker had also provided a bank account detail as well as a QR code for donations. According to a complaint filed by Tilak Raj Sharma, Additional Director of the Department of Industries, he alleged that he received information about the web page and QR code from an employee of EY, who is currently working with the Department of Industries. He mentioned that the fake page, uploaded on July 26, displayed a QR code linked to a bank account under the name Purav Maan with UPI ID.

“Taking immediate action, the Data Centre team immediately disabled the website on July 28 to prevent misuse of other government websites and restored it the next day after implementing safety measures,” he mentioned. “During verification, one of the members of the EY team transferred Rs 1 from their personal account to the QR code that was being displayed on the website. The transaction confirmed the UPI ID and account holder’s details,” stated Sharma. He also said that the department is yet to ascertain how much money, if any, was transferred to the account by people between July 26 and 28.

Sharma alleged that the accused person’s intent was to deceive the public as well as to tarnish the image of the department and the state government. Taking prompt action, police registered a case under Section 318(4) (cheating) of the BNS and Section 66C of the IT Act, 2000, and initiated an investigation. Police officials confirmed the report and stated that further investigation is ongoing.