Gujarat Man Posed As School Staff, Looted Lakhs From Parents In WhatsApp OTP Fraud

A 28-year-old man from Vadodara has been arrested for allegedly cheating more than 100 parents and staff members of Santram School in Nadiad out of lakhs of rupees by hijacking their WhatsApp accounts

and seeking money under false pretences.

The accused, identified as Pritesh Prajapati, is said to have posed as school staff or known contacts to gain the confidence of victims before asking them to share one-time passwords (OTPs) or transfer money for supposed emergencies. Nadiad (West) police arrested him after multiple complaints were lodged earlier this month.

According to the police, Prajapati’s modus operandi did not involve sophisticated hacking but relied heavily on social engineering. He allegedly picked mobile numbers from school WhatsApp groups, identified users through caller ID apps, and then attempted to log into their WhatsApp accounts. Claiming to be from the school and citing urgent work, he would ask recipients to share the OTP sent to their phones. Once he gained access to an account, he would send messages in school groups or to individual contacts, seeking money for fabricated reasons ranging from medical crises to school-related expenses.

The fraud came to light on December 16 after several parents and staff members complained that their WhatsApp accounts had been compromised and money siphoned off. In one instance, a parent lost Rs 16,000 after sharing an OTP believing the request was from a school representative. Another transferred Rs 15,000 for what was claimed to be a medical emergency.

Inspector KH Chaudhary said Prajapati, who has studied up to Class 11, is not a technical expert but is believed to have turned to cybercrime after suffering business losses and running up debts through online gambling. Police added that he already faces 14 criminal cases, including 10 related to cyber fraud across Ahmedabad, Sabarkantha, Rajkot, Morbi, Amreli and Junagadh. He was earlier detained under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act.

Prajapati was traced and arrested in Vadodara using human intelligence and cyber-surveillance techniques. Police are now probing whether he used similar tactics to target other schools.

Authorities have urged citizens not to share OTPs or transfer money based on calls or messages from unknown or unverified sources, even if the sender appears familiar on WhatsApp.