New Delhi: Amid rising unemployment, everyone dreams of landing a job. Fraudsters are exploiting people’s desperation during these times; they lure victims with false promises of employment and abscond after swindling large sums of money. Numerous cases of job-related fraud come to light regularly. One such shocking incident has emerged from Noida, near Delhi.
Noida Police have busted a major racket, arresting six individuals, including the mastermind, from an illegal call centre that was defrauding people under the guise of providing jobs. The operation was carried out jointly by the Noida Sector 20 police station and the cyber team. On Monday night, the team arrested the six accused, including the mastermind Shweta Singh (alias Priya), from an office located in Atta Market.
Lured victims with promises of jobs in companies
According to the police, the arrested individuals used to lure people with promises of jobs at various companies in Noida. They collected money under the pretext of registration and other fees. Police investigations revealed that the gang has defrauded over 250 people so far. The arrested individuals have been identified as Shweta Singh (alias Priya), Neeju Yadav, Kirti Singh (alias Mira), Pooja, Rupesh Kumar, and Aamir Rana. The police suspect that more people may be involved in the gang, and further questioning of other suspects is likely to follow.
Used advertisements to trap victims
According to the Noida Sector 20 police, the gang was operating from Sector 27. The accused would initially post job advertisements on platforms like Justdial. Matters escalated when the gang members began pasting and distributing flyers in crowded areas of the city, promising jobs to young people.
People would see these advertisements and contact them via phone. They would then be summoned to the call centre, where they were assured of securing jobs with various companies. The accused would collect money from the candidates under various pretexts, such as registration fees, interview charges, file processing fees, and costs for uniforms and medical examinations.
They were then assured that they would receive an appointment letter within a few days. However, considerable time would pass without the candidates getting the job or having their money refunded. Victims began lodging complaints at the police station. As the number of complaints rose, the cyber team swung into action and initiated an investigation.
Police Raid Exposes the Network
Acting on information provided by the complainants, the cyber cell and local police conducted a joint raid, uncovering the entire network. During the operation, the police seized three mobile phones, 11 fee books, four receipt books, 22 promotional pamphlets, and 20 filled-out candidate application forms from the site.
Meanwhile, based on the seized documents and mobile phones, the police are working to determine how long the gang had been active and to identify the bank accounts where the proceeds of the fraud were deposited.
