Police busts cyber fraud syndicate

New Delhi: Delhi Police has busted a cyber fraud syndicate that allegedly duped job seekers with fake overseas employment offers and arrested three key members of the network, including an assistant bank manager, an official said on Monday. The accused, identified as Ketan Deepak Kumar (24) of Gujarat, Sanjib Mondal (34) of West Bengal and Ravi Kumar Mishra (29) of Gurugram, were allegedly involved in offering non-existent foreign jobs and funnelling victims’ money through mule bank accounts, he said.

Two laptops, six mobile phones and Rs 50,000 in alleged crime proceeds were recovered from them.

According to the police, the case was registered on the complaint of a man who had lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic and was seeking work abroad. He received a message from a group named “FLYABROAD 6” offering lucrative placements in New Zealand. The fraudsters allegedly shared fake visa copies and fabricated registration documents to gain his trust, promising a chef/cook visa for Rs 2.80 lakh, a senior police officer said.

The complainant transferred Rs 1.80 lakh before the accused stopped responding. Verification later revealed that the visa, offer letter and the travel ticket shared with him were forged. A case under relevant sections of the BNS was registered on October 7 in southwest Delhi.

The police analysed communication, bank transactions and device locations linked to the syndicate. The cheated amount was routed through a mule account before being layered through another account to obscure the trail, they said.

Following surveillance across several states, Ketan Deepak Kumar was arrested from Rishikesh on November 9. His interrogation led the police to Sanjib Mondal, who was nabbed from Kolkata on November 13.