Punjab police busts online job fraud syndicate, nabs four in Assam raids
GUWAHATI: The Cyber Crime Division of Punjab police busted an international online job fraud syndicate with the apprehension of four offenders from various districts of Assam.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav revealed that the gang's modus operandi involved enticing unsuspecting individuals with lucrative “work from home” opportunities through a Telegram mobile app group.
Initially, the fraudsters assigned minor tasks to build trust, offering nominal payments.
Subsequently, victims were coerced into depositing funds under false pretences with promises of substantial returns, explained the DGP.
The arrests have unveiled another layer of a widespread cyber fraud network spanning the nation.
The arrested individuals were identified as Jahirul Islam, Rafiual Islam, Mehabub Alam, and Azizur Rehman.
Police seized a cache of incriminating evidence from their possession, including swipe machines, biometric scanners, identity cards, PAN cards, debit/credit cards, SIM cards, and electronic devices.
ADGP Cyber Crime V Neeraja disclosed that an investigation was initiated following a complaint from a woman defrauded of Rs 25 lakh.
The Cyber Crime team traced the gang's operations to districts in Assam.
During the operation, Jahirul Islam and Rafiual Islam were apprehended from Nagaon district. They confessed to running a customer services point (CSP) and fabricating counterfeit identification documents using software to open bank accounts and obtain SIM cards.
Mehabub Alam, arrested from Guwahati district, admitted to enlisting Azizur Rehman to provide bank accounts on commission. Azizur Rehman was subsequently arrested in Morigaon district.