Rajasthan teenager held for running QR code scam

A Rajasthan teenager has been arrested for allegedly running a digital payment scam by tampering with merchant QR codes at shops. The accused, in his 19 year, tampered with a QR code of a shop in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, where a customer was cheated of  INR 1.40 lakh.

The customer, while buying a lehenga, scanned the manipulated QR code, and the amount was transferred to the bank account of the accused in place of the shop owner, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Manish Verma, was arrested in Jaipur on Sunday after an inter-state operation. Police said Verma diverted UPI payments by subtly altering genuine QR codes displayed at shop counters, rerouting money to his own bank account while keeping the codes visually unchanged.

The case came to light after a complaint from a garment store in Chandni Chowk, one of Delhi’s busiest wedding shopping hubs. On December 13, a customer visited the shop to buy a lehenga priced at INR 2.5 lakh. She made two UPI payments of INR 90,000 and INR 50,000 by scanning QR codes displayed at the counter. Though the transactions showed as successful, the money never reached the shop’s official bank account. An e-FIR was registered, and a technical analysis of the UPI transaction trail revealed that the funds had been diverted to an unrelated bank account operating from Rajasthan. Based on digital footprints, bank records, and mobile data analysis, police traced the account to Verma and carried out raids in Jaipur.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to editing merchant QR codes using image-editing applications. Police said he replaced the linked bank account details with his own while ensuring that the QR code looked identical to the original. “To a customer or shop staff, the code appeared genuine. But once scanned, the payment went directly into the accused’s account,” an officer said.

Police said Verma targeted multiple shops and used simple but effective techniques to avoid detection. He allegedly downloaded images of genuine merchant QR codes, edited the embedded payment details using mobile applications, and then replaced or overlaid the altered codes at shop counters. In some cases, the change went unnoticed for days.

Investigators recovered mobile phones containing more than 100 edited and original QR codes, along with chats, screenshots, and detailed financial records. Examination of Verma’s bank account confirmed receipt of the cheated amount, police said.

According to investigators, the accused told police he got the idea after watching the South Indian film Vettaiyan, which depicts tech-enabled crime. “He admitted that the method was inspired by a movie and believed it was a low-risk way to make quick money,” an officer said. So far, police have confirmed at least one major victim, but they believe there could be more. “We are examining transaction records linked to the recovered QR codes to identify other victims and shops where payments may have been diverted,” the officer added.

The accused has been booked under relevant sections related to cheating and cyber fraud. Police said further investigation is underway to establish the full scale of the operation and whether others were involved. Officials have advised shopkeepers to regularly verify QR codes displayed at counters and reconcile digital payments with bank statements. Customers, too, have been urged to confirm the merchant name displayed on their UPI app before completing payments.