Shimla, Aug 11 (PTI) A case has been registered against an unidentified person for allegedly hacking the official website of the Himachal Pradesh Department of Industries and uploading a fake page, soliciting donations for the chief minister’s relief fund, officials said on Monday.
The fraudulent page carried a bank account number and a QR code for receiving money.
According to a complaint filed by Additional Director of the Department of Industries Tilak Raj Sharma, the matter came to light when a member of the EY team, currently working with the department, informed him about the suspicious page, prompting immediate action.
“The fake page, uploaded on July 26, displayed a QR code linked to a bank account of Purav Maan. Acting swiftly, the state data centre team disabled the website on July 28 to prevent further misuse and restored it the following day after implementing additional security measures” the complaint said.
Sharma told police that during verification, an EY team member transferred Rs 1 from their personal account to the QR code displayed on the hacked page, confirming the UPI ID and account holder’s details.
The department is still determining how much money, if any, was transferred by the public between July 26 and July 28, he added.
He further alleged in the complaint that the intent behind the hack was to cheat the public and tarnish the image of the department as well as the state government.
Police have registered a case under section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and section 66(C) (identity theft) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and said that further investigation is underway. PTI COR OZ OZ
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