Mumbai’s cyber cell police have apprehended two individuals for allegedly defrauding people by promising high-income part-time job opportunities. The suspects, Himanshu More (21) and Prem Shewale (18), both from Malegaon, Nashik, targeted hotel staff, persuading them to open bank accounts that were subsequently used to deposit money obtained through fraudulent activities orchestrated by masterminds based in the UAE.
The investigation was triggered by a complaint from a 53-year-old woman from Colaba who reported being scammed out of over Rs14 lakh in March. She was recruited into a Telegram group, assigned tasks, and prompted to invest money. Initially, she saw returns on her investment, but the scammers ceased communication once she invested larger sums, leading her to realize she had been conned.