The Cyber-crime Branch of Bhopal on Wednesday arrested four individuals involved in an elaborate online job scam that defrauded a victim of Rs16.7 lakh. The arrested individuals, from Mandsaur, Ujjain, and Dewas, allegedly lured people with fake work-from-home job opportunities, convincing them to complete online tasks in exchange for financial rewards.
The scam came to light after Arun Prakash Chaudhary, a resident of Nehru Nagar, Bhopal, filed a complaint on October 7, 2024. According to his statement, he received multiple calls from unknown numbers offering an online job. The fraudsters convinced him to complete tasks from home, promising financial profits. Over time, they manipulated him into depositing a total of Rs16.7 lakh into their accounts.
A case was filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita (BNS) at the Cyber-crime Branch, Bhopal. After a thorough investigation, police arrested four individuals: Kuldeep Meghwal (20) from Mandsaur, Lal Singh (31) from Ujjain, Nitesh Chauhan (26) from Ujjain, and Rohit Jaiswal (22) from Dewas. The authorities also seized crucial items used in the scam, including two mobile phones, three SIM cards, one fake chequebook, and an ATM card.
The accused set up fake Telegram channels, where they offered online jobs to victims via WhatsApp links. Once the victims joined, they were directed to fraudulent websites to open Demat accounts in their names. Initially, the fraudsters promised large profits for task completion. However, as the victims tried to withdraw their earnings, they were told their credit scores were too low. To “improve” their credit scores, the victims were pressured into completing more high-value tasks, which led to even larger deposits.
Additionally, the fraudsters sold bank accounts to other cyber-criminals for money laundering, including using cryptocurrency for transactions. This scam highlights the growing danger of online fraud and the need for vigilance when dealing with unknown job offers.
