Bhopal: Cyber Crime Branch Bursts Online Job Scam, Two Arrested From Gujarat And Rajasthan

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Cyber Crime Branch has busted a gang involved in an online job scam and arrested two members from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The gang had been conning people by luring them with fake online jobs that promised hefty profits for completing simple tasks.

Additional DCP (Crime) Shailendra Singh Chauhan said that a local resident, Puja Dwivedi from Bawadia Kala, had lodged a complaint after being duped of 5.94 lakh in November last year. She had received a message on Telegram offering online work. After being added to a Telegram channel, she was promised high returns for tasks like booking flight tickets and giving five-star ratings.

Puja was directed to a website and asked to deposit money as part of the task procedure. Lured by the appearance of hefty returns, she deposited the amount, which was eventually lost.

During investigation, cyber police traced the bank accounts where the money was transferred. Two persons—Kanak bhai Ahmedabadi (32) from Ahmedabad and Hansraj Godara (22) from Shri Dungargarh, Rajasthan—were arrested. Police also recovered mobile phones and fake SIM cards from their possession.

Modus operandi

According to police, the gang used Telegram and other social media platforms to reach potential victims, offering them lucrative online jobs. Victims were asked to fill out online registration forms and pay a fee. A special app, controlled by fraudsters, showed fake profits upon task completion.

However, when victims tried to withdraw the money, they were told their scores were too low. They were then asked to deposit more money to unlock their earnings. Once the victims transferred large sums to the bank accounts provided by scammers, all communication was cut off. Police are continuing the investigation to trace other members of the gang and identify more victims.