WhatsApp ‘task fraud’: Man duped of Rs 8.50 lakh; 4 held

Gurugram | A cyber crime team of the Gurugram Police has arrested four persons for allegedly duping a Gurugram-based man who reportedly lost Rs 8.50 lakh to fraudsters who lured him on the pretext of “earning big returns”.

The victim was contacted by the scamsters over WhatsApp. He was told that he could earn good money if he completed a part-time job involving online tasks, said a police officer.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Chander Prakash Tiwari — a resident of Kaithal in Haryana — the kingpin of the gang, Ankit, Nitin Kumar, and Abhinav — all residents of Uttar Pradesh.

“Hoping to earn good returns, the victim ended up paying Rs 8.50 lakh in different bank accounts but never received any remuneration,” Priyanshu Diwan, Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) Cyber Crime, Gurugram, said.

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The police investigation also revealed that the defrauded amount of about Rs 15 crore was also transferred to the account of a Chinese citizen. This matter is under investigation.

A case has been registered under section 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the police, the "online task" fraud typically entails trapping victims by making them perform tasks such as 'liking' videos and making small payments initially to win their trust.

The victims were later lured to invest money to gain large returns. The police have recovered 3 mobile phones and 5 bank kits from the possession of the accused.

IANS

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