Hacker makes life miserable for top Mumbai executive

An unknown hacker has turned the life of a top Mumbai executive into a nightmare by hacking all his devices, social media and bank accounts.

Chandan Kumar, 52, a senior executive working with a multinational company in Mumbai, has been arguably the biggest known victim of cyber hacking in India till date. His social media accounts, phone numbers, debit and credit card numbers, Aadhaar, and passport have been hacked since October 2021. A police complaint and hiring of an ethical hacker to trace the unknown hacker have not yet proved fruitful.

Kumar comes from an affluent family. He worked with leading international banks and lived in London and Singapore for eight years before returning to India. Today, the life of his family, which comprises of his wife Mausumi, a daughter, and a son, has turned into a nightmare. The Kumars have not only lost privacy but their sleep too.

“Calls are automatically being made from my and my wife's numbers. Several applications are being installed automatically,” said Kumar, a resident of Navi Mumbai. “The hacker has total control over our mobile phone, emails, and social media accounts. We have become his puppets; we are helpless. We are reduced to mute spectators only.”

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The ordeal

The hacker manages to call Kumar’s relatives and friends numerous times a day, creating a false impression that Kumar or Mausumi are calling them. Once a phone call or WhatsApp voice is answered, the hacker does not say anything. When at home, Kumar can watch Mausumi calling his number when she is busy with her household work and did not actually call him.

On February 25, when they were planning to celebrate their wedding anniversary, the hacker spoiled their plan by calling almost everyone on their contact list. The people in turn called the Kumars to inquire what the matter was. “He even made WhatsApp calls to family members in the US and to my sister-in-law, who stays in Jharkhand when my phone was on airplane mode. The hacker switched off the airplane mode. He switched on the wi-fi and installed Kasamba, an application, and was typing OTP (one-time password) in front of my eyes. He is able to read, write and hear everything I say,” said Kumar.