PUDUCHERRY: In a significant breakthrough, the Puducherry cyber crime police have arrested four people from an apartment in Bengaluru in Karnataka for their alleged involvement in a nationwide job scam that defrauded over 3,400 people. The accused, identified as Shubham Sharma (29) and Niraj Gurjar of Morena in Madhya Pradesh, Deepak Kumar (28) of Nawada in Bihar, Raj Gound (23) of Basti in Uttar Pradesh, were part of an extensive cybercrime network operating across multiple states. The investigation was launched following a complaint from Ramesh Kumar, an engineering graduate from Lawspet.
Kumar had contacted a mobile number listed on a Facebook advertisement offering job opportunities abroad. He was promised an executive job in Canada with a salary of Rs 2.5 lakh per month and was subsequently asked to pay for various expenses, including a visa (work permit), medical examination, and insurance.
Believing the promises, Kumar deposited a total of Rs 17.71 lakhs into multiple bank accounts over time. However, after receiving no response for a while, he complained with the Puducherry Cyber Crime Wing.
A team led by Inspector B C Keerthy went to Kolkata and was able to trace the fraudulent bank accounts to Murshidabad in West Bengal. However, they discovered that the address and Aadhaar number linked to the account holder were fake. The police then traced the four suspects to an apartment in Bengaluru, where they were apprehended.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused were part of a larger network led by Azam Khan from Uttar Pradesh. This network diverged into several groups and had defrauded over 3,400 people, amassing more than Rs 200 crores by promising overseas job placements. The accused received 50% of the defrauded amount as commission from Azam Khan, enabling them to purchase luxury items, including a car worth Rs 22 lakh and a flat for Rs 16 lakh, with an advance payment of Rs 12 lakh.
The police seized 21 cell phones, two passports, 42 SIM cards, a laptop, 64 ATM cards, and Rs 41 lakh in cash during the raid. The accused were remanded in custody. Police from nine states, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Telangana, and Uttarakhand, are also looking for the suspects in connection with fraud cases associated with them.
The Puducherry Cyber Crime Police are continuing their investigation to trace other members of the network and recover the defrauded money. Senior Superintendent of Police (crime and intelligence) Kalaivanan has cautioned people not to trust such job advertisements..
