Delhi Police have arrested two individuals, Ahtisham and Mukesh Luthra, in connection with a Rs3.75 lakh cyber fraud that targeted a resident through a deceptive work-from-home scheme.
The suspects allegedly lured the victim with small payments for fake online tasks such as product reviews, slowly building credibility. Once the victim’s trust was secured, the fraudsters convinced them to deposit larger sums into pre-paid “high return” tasks—an orchestrated setup to siphon funds under false pretenses.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel, the fraud was designed to seem legitimate at first, which made it more convincing and difficult to detect early on.
A breakthrough came after the victim filed a complaint via the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. Investigators traced Rs1 lakh to Ahtisham’s bank account. Further digital forensics linked co-accused Mukesh Luthra to cryptocurrency laundering tactics, which were allegedly used to obscure the movement of funds and hide their source.
Police believe the scam may be part of a larger network using crypto assets to launder stolen money, and further investigations are ongoing.
Authorities have once again urged citizens to verify the authenticity of online job offers and to remain cautious when asked to make payments for tasks or job-related opportunities.
