The Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police recently arrested four individuals involved in an elaborate online job scam that defrauded a housewife of Rs17 lakh in Edathala, near Aluva. The arrested individuals include Muhammad Minhaj (22), Mithal Shihadali (27), and two others under the age of 20, all hailing from Peruvayal in Kozhikode.
According to the police, the accused circulated messages on various social media platforms, offering lucrative online job opportunities. When the victim responded to the offer, she was instructed to register on a fake online portal. Initially, her task involved rating food products on a website, for which she was paid a small amount, gaining her trust.
Once the victim was comfortable, the fraudsters convinced her to invest in their purported company. She started by investing up to Rs5 lakh, receiving small profits in return, further building her confidence. The scammers promised higher returns, which led the victim to invest a total of Rs17 lakh.
Though the victim’s account reflected the profits, when she tried to withdraw her earnings, the money never appeared in her bank account. All communications were conducted through the Telegram app. Upon further investigation, police found that the accused operated over eight different bank accounts, with transactions amounting to more than Rs2 crore.
The police traced the transactions and arrested the accused based on the bank account details. Two of the suspects, who were under 20, were sent to Borstal School in Kakkanad, while the two main accused were remanded in judicial custody.
