Vellore doctor loses Rs 2.23 crore to part-time job fraud

Kasaragod: In a shocking case of cyber fraud reported in the city, a 42-year-old doctor from Tamil Nadu's Vellore allegedly lost an astonishing Rs 2.23 crore and 95 thousand in just 19 days to a gang of cyber fraudsters in a part-time job fraud. Altogether eight accused have been arrested from the gang so far, involving an alleged serial cybercriminal from Payyannur.

Over 19 days, from May 17 to June 4, the doctor transferred Rs 2,23,94,993 to 18 different accounts spread across Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi.

So far, the doctor has recovered Rs 10.79 lakh through court proceedings from one of the fraudsters, along with Rs 87,125 that the scammers had initially returned to gain his trust and make the scheme appear legitimate. Cyber police are still working to track down the remaining Rs 2.23 crore.

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According to Onmanorama, the scam began when the fraudsters contacted the doctor via Telegram, offering him a work-from-home job that involved reviewing businesses and products. However, the doctor asked his wife to do the job instead.

Initially, the scamsters paid her, but soon they started demanding money upfront to offer lucrative reviewing jobs. They later added the doctor to an exclusive Telegram group, claiming it was for "premium" job offers.

To make the scam believable, the doctor was added to a Telegram group with around 30 members who all appeared to be earning well from the same platform. In reality, these were fake profiles controlled by the scammers.

Between May 17 and June 4, the doctor transferred Rs 2,23,94,993 to 18 different accounts spread across Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi. The scammers attempted to maintain his trust by refunding a small sum of Rs 87,125.

But when the doctor realised that he was scammed, he approached Kasaragod Cyber Police Station and filed a complaint against the fraudsters. This led the police to initiate a four-member extradition team headed by Sub-Inspector Sreedasan M V.

The investigation has led to multiple arrests, including that of Sunil Kumar Jhanwar, a 24-year-old food delivery and bike taxi driver from Jodhpur. He was caught while attending to his ailing father in the Mathura Das Mathur Hospital.

ASI Prashanth, along with senior civil police officers Narayanan and Dileesh, spent eight days tracking down Sunil Kumar Jhanwar in Jodhpur. Following the fraud, Jhanwar had relocated to an area under Bhagat Ki Kothi Police Station, but when the officers arrived, they found his rented house locked.

The breakthrough came just 45 minutes before the only weekly train was set to depart at 11:30 pm, when the Kasaragod team finally located him. The final two days of their search were spent inside the sprawling 99-acre Mathura Das Mathur Hospital complex.

"We were discreet to avoid attracting attention. When we located him, his relatives and friends tried to block us from taking him into custody," Sreedasan said. Officers from the local Shastri Nagar Police Station came to their rescue and helped them reach the railway station on time, with the accused.​

Jhanwar had personally received Rs 18 lakh of the scammed money, which he withdrew using cheques. By the time of his arrest, his bank account was empty. He used three cheques to withdraw the funds from his account with Axis Bank in Jodhpur.

The investigation, earlier headed by the District Crime Bank, is now with District Special Branch DySP Sunil Kumar M.​ Under the District Crime Branch DySP T Uthamdas, the team had arrested two accused: Muhammed Noushad A T, an alleged serial cybercriminal from Payyannur, and Harshavardhan R of Mattancherry in Kochi.

"Noushad, though not the mastermind, is a crucial link in the scam, managing several bank accounts used to launder the ill-gotten money. He recruited unsuspecting individuals -- mainly students and homemakers -- convincing them to open bank accounts in exchange for commissions. Harshavardhan, a recruit of Noushad, opened 10 bank accounts that received Rs 40 lakh, said DySP Uthamdas.

Further, Uthamdas said, "Kerala High Court Judge P V Kunhikrishnan granted anticipatory bail to Harshavardhan on January 27. Noushad was arrested on February 13. In March, the investigating team traced Rs 10.79 lakh to a UCO Bank account with the Parliament Street Branch in Delhi. The money was recovered and returned to the doctor through court proceedings."

The money received in Harshavardhan's accounts was allegedly collected by Noushad. Police said they would seek the custody of Sunil Kumar Jhanwar to understand his role in the scam and identify his collaborators.

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