Digital India gone wrong: How Mizoram man used Gpay code to steal from petrol pump
A 23-year-old man in Mizoram was arrested for stealing money from a petrol pump by replacing its QR code with his own Google Pay barcode. He diverted ₹2,315 before being caught, having confessed to the crime after questioning.
The push for a Digital India took an unfortunate turn on Saturday after a Mizoram man used Google Pay to steal from a petrol pump. 23-year-old H. Lalrohlua replaced the QR code sticker on display with his own Google Pay barcode and managed to deviate funds from several transactions before he got caught.
According to the police a complaint was filed by the Mizofed petrol pump manager on Saturday evening. Authorities indicate that the payment sticker at the at Treasury Square fuel outlet in Aizawl was replaced by miscreants around 3:00 pm that day.
Mizoram Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said the police had launched an investigation on the basis of their complaint. Lalrohlua was arrested on grounds of suspicion on Sunday and eventually confessed to his crime after a thorough questioning. He has no previous criminal record.
The accused printed his own GPay QR code and displayed it at the filling station by replacing the legitimate one displayed by the Mizofed. Khiangte said that the accused received ₹2,315 in three transactions through GPay and repaid ₹890 to one of the payees. He had however spent spent the remaining amount of ₹1,425.
India has seen its instant payment system Unified Payment Interface transaction volumes record a 52% year-on-year surge to 78.97 billion in the first six months of 2024. The value of transactions also grew 40%, increasing from ₹83.16 trillion to ₹116.63 trillion. In terms of volume and value contribution, PhonePe emerged as the top UPI app, followed by Google Pay and Paytm.
Grocery stores, restaurants, service stations, clothing stores, government services, pharmacies, and hospitals were the most visited in-store merchant categories in the first half of 2024. They collectively accounted for almost 53% of the overall transaction value and 68 per cent of the transaction volume. E-commerce, gaming, utilities, government services, and financial services made up around 81 per cent of the overall transaction volume and 74% of the total transaction value in the online industry.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Business NewsNewsIndiaDigital India gone wrong: How Mizoram man used Gpay code to steal from petrol pump
First Published:10 Nov 2024, 10:06 PM IST
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