Delhi man arrested for orchestrating fake bank job scam after falling victim himself

PTC News Desk: A Delhi resident, Vishal Ahuja, 31, found himself behind bars after attempting to replicate a bank job scam he fell victim to previously, as per Delhi Police reports on Thursday.

Ahuja, a diploma holder from Pusa Institute residing in Uttam Nagar, devised a scheme similar to the one that ensnared him last year. He advertised fake job openings for 'Banking Assistant and Data Entry Operator' on the WorkIndia job portal, where he would then send counterfeit offers, appointments, and confirmation letters to unsuspecting victims.

The investigation began when Sagar Ranga filed an online complaint on March 28 via NCRP. Ranga reported responding to a job advertisement on WorkIndia, only to receive a call from an individual posing as an HR officer at HDFC Bank. Promising a job for Ranga's wife, the scammer requested Rs 900 for police verification, followed by additional sums for various fees, totaling Rs 6,829. After receiving the money, communication ceased.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Southwest, Rohit Meena, disclosed that tracing the transactions led to a Kotak Bank account belonging to Anupama in Bahadurgarh, Haryana. Further investigation tracked the scammer's mobile activity to Patel Nagar, eventually pinpointing activity in Uttam Nagar and Dwarka.

Technical surveillance on April 6 uncovered payments made from the Kotak Bank account at local establishments in Dwarka Mor. Analysis revealed the scammer's use of proxy SIM cards and accounts. Vishal Ahuja was apprehended at Dwarka Mor Metro Station while attempting to meet another potential victim.

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Interrogation of Anupama disclosed her own victimisation, with the scammer defrauding her of Rs 57,500 by using her identity to open an online bank account.

Upon arrest, Ahuja confessed to purchasing a package from WorkIndia to advertise fake job openings and deceive job seekers through WhatsApp. He altered candidate names in counterfeit offer letters using online PDF editing tools and obtained KYC documents and biometrics to commit further fraud.

Ahuja withdrew funds from various ATMs and made payments using UPI. He destroyed ATM cards to eliminate evidence once bank accounts were blocked or frozen by the police.

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- With inputs from agencies

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