The Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police have arrested four individuals involved in a fraudulent online job scheme that swindled a housewife out of Rs17 lakhs in Edathala, near Aluva. The accused, including Muhammad Minhaj (22) and Mithal Shihadali (27), along with two others under 20, were apprehended by the police team.
The fraudsters circulated messages on various social media platforms, enticing victims with offers of online jobs. When the victim applied, she was instructed to register on a fraudulent online portal. Initially, she was tasked with rating food products on a website, earning a small amount for her efforts, which helped build trust.
Once they gained her confidence, the scammers encouraged her to invest in their scheme, leading her to invest a total ofRs5 lakhs. Promising higher returns, they later lured her into investing an additional Rs17 lakhs. Although the online account showed profits from her investments, the funds were never transferred to her bank account when she attempted to withdraw them.
All communications with the victim took place via the Telegram app. Upon registering a case, police investigated the bank accounts associated with the transfers and discovered that each accused operated over eight accounts. The investigation revealed transactions exceeding Rs2 crores in these accounts.
While two of the accused were under 20 and were sent to Borstal School in Kakkanad, the other two main suspects have been remanded to judicial custody. Authorities suspect that more individuals may be involved in the fraud, with several others potentially targeted by the group. The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena and led by Cyber Police Station SHO R Roj.