BENGALURU: Cybercrime investigators uncovered an online employment and investment scam, apprehending eleven suspects who had been luring investors with promises of great returns on their investments. The detained are allegedly sought in 2,143 incidents that have been recorded nationwide, where they have defrauded people out of a total of Rs 158.94 crore. The group has defrauded at least 265 people in Karnataka, 135 of them are from Bengaluru.
The accused offered work-from-home opportunities to homemakers and other individuals. When they first started out, they would offer huge interest rates on little investments. The accused would take the money out of the banks and disappear once the victims fell for the scam and began making further investments.
Of the accused, two are from Karnataka, five are from Telangana, and four are from Maharashtra. The defendants defrauded individuals in 28 different states. Based on the same 30 bank account numbers that they had used to deceive the victims, 2,143 cases have been filed. The thirty bank accounts are all frozen. Only Rs 62 lakh was recovered by the police, while the gang took out the remaining funds.
Recovered items include two computers, eleven cell phones, SIM cards, chequebooks, and other valuables. After taking the 11 suspects into jail, officials interrogated them extensively. The group has been operational for almost a year. We were able to acquire information on 2,143 instances via the NCRB site. The group defrauded 265 persons in Karnataka, 135 of them were in Bengaluru.
In Bengaluru, there are cases against the accused at 14 police stations. Several of the eleven accused are account holders. Police believe that additional gang members are involved in overseas operations. For the first time, all 11 of the accused have been taken into custody. All 30 account numbers and the gang’s modus operandi are identical. It’s a very sophisticated organised crime group. “They each had distinct roles and responsibilities,” stated B Dayananda, the Police Commissioner.
Recall that the same cybercrime police had previously brought down another scam involving thousands of victims who had been defrauded of Rs 854 crore. There were about 5,000 examples of the scam reported. Seventeen complaints were filed in Bengaluru, and Rs 60 lakh was frozen.
Source: The News Indian Express