New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Two men have been arrested for allegedly duping a Delhi man of Rs 3.75 lakh on the pretext of offering a work-from-home job and laundering the proceeds via cryptocurrency, an official said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Ahtisham (25) and Mukesh Luthra (29), ran an elaborate cyber fraud syndicate offering fake part-time jobs such as online product reviews to lure unsuspecting victims, he said.
“After building initial trust with small payouts, the victims were asked to undertake pre-paid tasks with the promise of higher returns, leading to continued investment and eventual financial loss,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said.
The matter came to light when a complainant from Palam lodged a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal on June 20. The complainant alleged that on June 18, he was approached by a woman on WhatsApp, offering him an online job involving website reviews, Goel said.
Initially paid for completing minor tasks, the victim was later persuaded to invest money in pre-paid assignments, only to be repeatedly asked to deposit additional amounts under false pretenses. Eventually, he was defrauded of Rs 3.75 lakh.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered. The subsequent investigation revealed that Rs 1 lakh of the defrauded amount was transferred to a private bank account registered in the name of Ahtisham.
“He later withdrew the amount using a cheque, and the transaction was verified through CCTV footage from the bank. Further investigation found that the account was operated by co-accused Mukesh Luthra alias Pankaj, who has a history of involvement in cyber frauds,” the DCP added.
Mukesh Luthra allegedly routed the funds through multiple accounts and used the money for purchasing cryptocurrency, particularly USDT, to obscure the financial trail and avoid detection by enforcement agencies.
Both the accused were arrested after raids were conducted for several days in Laxmi Nagar. PTI SSJ SSJ RUK RUK
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