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New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, Delhi Police on Saturday said the Cyber Police Station of Delhi’s South district has busted a fake job racket that duped dozens of unemployed youth by offering them fake employment opportunities in Indigo Airlines.
According to the police, nine people, including the mastermind, an employee of a telecom service provider and seven women telecallers have been arrested.
Police said the accused posed as recruiters on job portals like OLX and lured the victims with job offers in reputed airlines. Once convinced, the victims were asked to pay “processing” and “similar” fees amounting to thousands of rupees.
During the investigation, more than 40 linked complaints were detected on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
Vikas Kumar alias Vicky (38), resident of Subhash Nagar, West Delhi, was arrested after the raid led by Inspector Hansraj Swami under the supervision of ACP Arvind Kumar.
His associate, Baljeet Singh (31), working at a telecom company in Vikaspuri, allegedly supplied the SIM cards obtained through misuse of customer biometrics. Seven female telecallers – who were recruited through “Job Hai” and “Work India” portals – were caught running a fake call center in Tilak Nagar, where they were earning Rs 15,000 per month to lure job seekers.
“The telecallers were recruited through online job portals like ‘Job Hai’ and ‘Work India’ and were paid Rs 15,000 per month in cash. They were actively involved in calling, convincing and collecting personal details of job seekers. All seven women were caught on the spot,” the police said in a press note.
Police recovered 22 mobile phones, a desktop computer, 19 SIM cards, QR codes linked to fake bank accounts and a Wi-Fi router used in the fraud.
Similarly, eight UPI IDs and QR codes of bank accounts used to collect the defrauded amount have also been recovered.
According to investigators, the gang followed a three-step process: victims first paid Rs 2,500 as security deposit, followed by Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 for uniforms and later Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 for “opening a salary account”.
Many victims avoided complaining due to the small amount involved, allowing the fraud to continue for more than a year.
Police advised citizens to be wary of job offers on social media and OLX and never pay money for employment. Suspected cases can be reported through the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or their official website, or by visiting the nearest police station.
–IANS
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