Police in the Khajuraho region of Madhya Pradesh‘s Chhatarpur district are investigating a spate of fraud cases where scammers replaced shop QR codes with their own, diverting customer payments into their accounts. Nearly half a dozen establishments, including petrol pumps, have fallen victim to this scheme.
Fraudsters either swapped original QR codes with fake ones or pasted fraudulent codes directly over them. Police confirmed the incidents but noted that no formal complaints have been lodged by the shopkeepers yet. “The matter has come to our attention. We are investigating and will catch the culprits soon,” said Atul Dixit, in-charge of the Khajuraho police station.
The scam came to light when shopkeepers noticed discrepancies in payments. Omvati Gupta, who owns a medical shop, revealed that a customer pointed out the QR code displayed a different name, “Chhotu Tiwari,” instead of her store’s name. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, she discovered three masked men had replaced the code late at night.
A similar QR code under the name “Chhotu Tiwari” was found at a petrol pump, and Nitesh Gupta, another shop owner, reported losing ₹985 and ₹10 due to the fraudulent QR code. Other victims included a biryani and egg shop, a paan shop, and various local establishments.
Authorities have urged shopkeepers to inspect QR codes regularly and report any suspicious changes immediately. Investigations are ongoing, and police are working to identify the culprits using CCTV evidence.
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