Nagpur lawyer, estate agent arrested in Rs 55 lakh cyber task fraud

The cyber police in the south region have dismantled a cyber fraud group, apprehending a lawyer and an estate agent from Nagpur on Saturday. The duo is alleged to be part of a ‘cyber task job fraud’ syndicate that scammed a businesswoman from Walkeshwar of Rs 55.36 lakh. Shockingly, a scrutiny of the bank account used by the accused revealed transactions totaling Rs 3 crore in just two days.
The arrested individuals are advocate Salma Sujat Ali, 38, from Tiranga Chowk, Nagpur, and estate agent Gajendra Ekunkar, 39, residing in Hanuman Nagar, Nagpur.
The complainant, a 47-year-old businesswoman engaged in import activities with an office in the Fort area, received a random message in July 2023 from someone claiming to be Arya. The message offered her an online work-from-home, part-time job involving completing tasks such as subscribing to YouTube channels in exchange for payment. After being added to Telegram groups, she completed tasks and received payments via UPI transactions.
Subsequently, the woman was enticed with links to various tasks, promising lucrative returns. The fraudsters informed her that by paying Rs 2,000, she would receive Rs 2,800; for payments of Rs 5,000 and Rs 9,000, she would get back Rs 6,800 and Rs 11,500, respectively. The complainant invested small amounts initially, receiving promised returns. However, the group gradually persuaded her to deposit Rs 55.36 lakh between July 24-28, 2023.
Whenever she sought refunds, the fraudsters would assign her additional paid tasks, creating a cycle. Frustrated, she filed a complaint with the south region cyber police. While examining transaction details, the police discovered a bank account repeatedly used to receive Rs 14.50 lakh. Further investigation led to Kanchan Meshram in Nagpur, who revealed that her friend Salma had allegedly misused her documents to open the bank account.
Meshram filed an FIR against Salma at Pardi police station in Nagpur. The cyber police traced Salma and Ekunkar in Nagpur on Saturday, bringing them to Mumbai. The accused face charges under sections 419, 420, 466, 467, 468, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, and 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act.