Father loses ₹7.46 lakh after son’s gaming OTP slip‑up

When a 46‑year‑old private‑sector employee from Whitefield, Bengaluru, discovered that his bank account had been drained of ₹7,46,591, the shock was immediate. The loss, he later learned, stemmed from a seemingly innocuous gaming session his minor son was having on the family’s smartphone.

According to the police report, the boy was logged into an online game on April 9, 2026, when he was approached by two players who introduced themselves as Vinayak Yadav and Yesh Pal. The duo, posing as friends, coaxed the youngster into opening his father’s email account on the same device.

Once inside, they asked the child to forward any one‑time passwords (OTPs) that popped up on the mobile number linked to the account. The teen, unaware of the danger, complied, sending the codes straight back to the strangers.

Armed with those OTPs, the fraudsters activated an AutoPay feature on the father’s banking profile. Within minutes, they siphoned off more than seven lakh rupees, all without the account holder’s knowledge or consent.

The aggrieved father rushed to the Whitefield Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station, filing a formal complaint. The police have now lodged an FIR under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, together with Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Investigators are combing through digital trails to track down the two alleged perpetrators.

While the case is still under investigation, it serves as a stark reminder: even casual online gaming can become a gateway for cybercriminals, especially when children are coaxed into sharing security credentials. Parents are being urged to monitor their kids’ digital interactions closely and to educate them about the perils of revealing OTPs or any personal identifiers to unknown contacts.