Five Arrested for Duping Woman of ₹17 Lakh in Work-from-Home Scam

Five people, including an illegal crypto trader, were arrested for scamming a woman out of ₹17 lakh through a fake work-from-home scheme. The gang lured her via Telegram with promises of commissions. The victim made repeated payments, and part of the funds was converted into cryptocurrency by one of the accused.

Five individuals, including a woman allegedly involved in illegal cryptocurrency trading, have been arrested for defrauding a woman of ₹17 lakh through a fake remote work scheme. According to police, the gang operated through a Telegram group where they promised participants large commissions for completing simple online tasks.

The 29-year-old victim, who preferred not to be named, was searching for job opportunities when she came across the group. The accused initially paid her small amounts as “commission” for writing reviews and making small online payments, gaining her trust. However, she was later coerced into making repeated payments via UPI with the lure of unlocking higher-level tasks that would yield even greater returns.

As the payments continued, the victim realized she had been scammed after losing ₹17 lakh in total. She then approached the authorities, leading to a cyber fraud investigation.

One of the accused, Nidhi Agarwal, 47, allegedly played a key role in laundering the stolen money. Police reported that Agarwal converted the scammed amount into cryptocurrency, making the funds harder to trace. She is believed to be an unlicensed crypto trader, and further investigation is ongoing to track down additional assets or transactions linked to the group.

The scam highlights the growing trend of online fraud targeting job seekers, particularly through Telegram and other messaging platforms. Police have urged the public to remain cautious of job offers that require upfront payments or promise unusually high returns for minimal work.

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All five accused are currently in custody and are being interrogated. Authorities are also checking for other potential victims who may have fallen for similar traps set by the same group.