HAL Loses ₹55 Lakh in Fraudulent Payment for Fighter Jet Parts

The email was fraudulent, but the payment was genuine. HAL lost ₹55 lakh ($63,000) in a cyber scam.

HAL Kanpur’s Additional General Manager, Ashok Kumar Singh, lodged a police complaint on March 13. Authorities registered a case under the IT Act after the company was duped in an online fraud.

In May 2024, HAL requested a price quote for three fighter jet parts from a US-based company. The company replied, and discussions continued via email. However, at some point, a fraudulent email infiltrated the exchange.

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DCP Crime Anjali Vishwakarma stated, “HAL contacted the US-based PS Engineering Incorporated for aircraft parts. Initially, communication was through a legitimate email. However, midway, the real email was replaced with a fake one, differing only by a missing letter ‘e’.”

The police officer explained, “Due to this oversight, HAL transferred the payment to an incorrect account instead of the actual vendor’s account. The fraud was discovered when the vendor reported not receiving the payment. As a result, HAL lost approximately $63,000 (Rs 55 lakh) to the scam.”

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The police officer added that it remains unclear whether Hindustan Aeronautical Limited was deceived by another US-based company or an Indian entity.