‘Work From Home’ scams worth crores busted in Adilabad: Two from Madhya Pradesh held

Adilabad: Cyber fraud worth several crores of rupees was unearthed in the district after two members of an inter-state cybercrime gang were arrested. The accused were allegedly involved in fraudulent ‘Work From Home’ scams.

Speaking to the media on Monday, District SP Akhil Mahajan said, “Acting on a complaint filed on June 14 by victim Chenna Shivakumar of Jandapur village, police formed a special team and apprehended the accused in Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh.”

The accused have been identified as Saurabh Rayakwar (A1, 24) and Ritik Sen (A2, 19). Both are natives of Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh.

Modus operandi

The accused contacted victims via WhatsApp, introducing themselves with messages like “Hi, my name is Tina.” They lured people into online task-based jobs with promises of daily earnings between Rs 2,000 to Rs 8,000 from home. Initially, small payments (Rs 150 to Rs 450) were sent to gain trust, after which victims were added to Telegram groups and encouraged to invest larger sums.

In the current case, the victim transferred a total of Rs 5,03,000 across multiple transactions, believing he would earn commissions. However, after realising it was a scam, he contacted Cyber Helpline 1930, which led to the successful police operation.

The gang operated nationally and internationally, with over 900 fraud attempts per month, and around 250 victims in a Telegram group alone. The SP stated that the two arrested were acting as commission agents for larger cybercrime networks still at large.

Special efforts are underway to apprehend the main kingpins behind the scam. The police urged unemployed youth and the general public to remain alert and not fall for such ‘easy money’ traps.

Public advisory

Report cybercrimes immediately to 1930 or the nearest police station.

Acting within the ‘Golden Hour’ (first hour after the fraud) increases the chances of recovering lost money.

Avoid clicking unknown links or downloading apps from untrusted sources.

Be cautious of job offers or investment opportunities on WhatsApp, Telegram or social media.