In a significant breakthrough, Puducherry cyber crime police arrested four individuals from an apartment in Bengaluru for their alleged involvement in a nationwide job scam that defrauded over 3,400 people. The suspects have been identified as Shubham Sharma (29), Niraj Gurjar from Morena in Madhya Pradesh, Deepak Kumar (28) from Nawada in Bihar, and Raj Gound (23) from Basti in Uttar Pradesh. They are part of a larger cybercrime network operating across multiple states.
The investigation began after Ramesh Kumar, an engineering graduate from Lawspet, reported being scammed. Kumar had contacted a mobile number listed in a Facebook ad promising job opportunities abroad. He was offered an executive position in Canada with a monthly salary of Rs2.5 lakh and was subsequently asked to cover various expenses, including visa fees, medical examinations, and insurance.
Trusting the scammers, Kumar deposited a total of Rs17.71 lakh into various bank accounts. After a period of no communication, he filed a complaint with the Puducherry Cyber Crime Wing.
A team led by Inspector B C Keerthy traced the fraudulent accounts to Murshidabad in West Bengal, only to find that the address and Aadhaar number linked to the account were fake. The investigation then led them to the suspects in Bengaluru.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused were part of a larger network headed by Azam Khan from Uttar Pradesh. This network had defrauded over 3,400 individuals, amassing more thanRs200 crore by promising overseas job placements. The accused reportedly received 50% of the defrauded amounts as commission from Khan, which they used to purchase luxury items, including a car worth Rs22 lakh and a flat costing Rs16 lakh, with an advance payment of Rs12 lakh.
During the raid, police seized 21 cell phones, two passports, 42 SIM cards, a laptop, 64 ATM cards, andRs41 lakh in cash. The suspects have been remanded in custody.
Police from nine states—including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Telangana, and Uttarakhand—are also searching for other suspects linked to the fraud.
The Puducherry Cyber Crime Police are continuing their investigation to identify additional members of the network and recover the defrauded funds. Senior Superintendent of Police (Crime and Intelligence) Kalaivanan cautioned the public to be wary of such job advertisements.
