Scam Targeted Job Seekers via Popular Portals
New Delhi, May 15 — The Delhi Police have dismantled an illegal call centre that orchestrated a nationwide online job scam, targeting unsuspecting job seekers by posing as recruiters. The operation led to the arrest of 14 individuals, including the alleged mastermind, Fahiq Siddiqui.Victim Lured via Job Portals with False Promises
According to officials, the scam was exposed following a complaint by a woman who had posted her resume on Shine.com and Naukri.com in January. She received a call on January 27 from a woman identifying herself as Priya, offering a job opportunity in the medical field and requesting a refundable security deposit of ₹500.Subsequently, she was contacted by a man named Atul, who conducted a telephonic interview and demanded ₹3,999 for training. Over several days, she was further asked to pay ₹7,500 for document verification, ₹7,250 for a work kit, and finally ₹11,000 for salary account processing. Her suspicion was triggered by the last demand, prompting her to report the fraud to the cyber cell.
Technical Surveillance Leads to Noida Call Centre
Following her complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigators traced the money trail through ATM CCTV footage in Noida, where a masked suspect was seen withdrawing cash. Using call detail records and IP logs from Shine.com, police tracked the operation to a building in Sector-3, Noida.A raid on May 14, supported by local law enforcement, led to the arrest of Fahiq Siddiqui along with six men and six women who were actively running the illegal call centre. Another suspect, Mohit Kumar, was arrested near Laxmi Nagar Metro Station for allegedly supplying SIM cards and bank accounts used in the fraud.
Seizures and National Reach
During the raid, police seized significant evidence including eight laptops, 47 mobile phones, 57 SIM cards, 15 debit cards, two Wi-Fi dongles, and ₹1,31,500 in cash. The gang had purchased premium recruiter accounts on job portals to access job seeker profiles and initiate contact.Authorities believe the scam has a nationwide footprint. The Delhi Police are coordinating with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to analyse the recovered data and expand the investigation.
Further inquiries are ongoing, police confirmed.