'Bunty aur Babli': Hyderabad woman poses as Cognizant HR manager, cheats job seekers of Rs 58L

Hyderabad: Cyberabad Cyber Crimes Police have arrested a woman who posed as senior HR manager at Cognizant Technology Solutions and cheated job aspirants of Rs 58 lakh.

Reshma alias Swapna, 30, posing as a senior HR manager at Cognizant Technology Solutions, targeted job seekers through phone calls / online communications. Candidates evincing interest were made to make advance payments under the guise of processing fees.

After receiving the money, Reshma and her associates would send fake emails and offer letters that appeared to be from official IBM and Cognizant email addresses. The move was aimed to convince victims of the legitimacy of the job offers.

After receiving payments, she would snap all communication lines and disappear. On August 1, 2024, an MBA graduate reported that she received calls on September 29, 2023, from Reshma and accomplice Pydi Supreethi, regarding job opportunities in multinational companies. Claiming to be a Senior HR Manager at Cognizant (CTS), Reshma said she was hiring for CTS and IBM.

The victim referred several candidates and sent their resumes on the WhatsApp number she provided. Supreethi requested an advance payment of 50% for placement. The victim collected money from 9 others and transferred it to various accounts. After payments, candidates received what appeared to be official job offers. However, when communication ceased, victims realized they had been scammed, losing around ₹58,75,000.

Later a case was registered. The investigation led by Cyber Crimes Inspector P. Narendra Reddy revealed that Reshma lured victims as a tele caller, while her ex-husband Mohammaed Ali orchestrated the fraud. Fazil Patel and Firdous sent fake emails and procured SIM cards.

Multiple accounts were used to funnel the illicit funds. Reshma was arrested at Hussein Plaza in Kalaburagi, Karnataka.

Who is Reshma?

Reshma alias Swapna moved to Hyderabad in 2009 and joined Instant IT Jobs Consultancy as a Tele Caller. She met Mohammed Ali who was the manager. In 2013 they got married. However, they divorced in 2022. Reshma remarried but continued to be in contact with Mohammed Ali for committing job fraud.

Reshma is involved in multiple cases including Cr. No. 2874/2024, under section 420 IPC and Sec 66-D of IT Act 2000-2008 at Cyber Crime PS, Cyberabad, 5 other cases in Telangana, one case in AP, and six cases in Karnataka.

Seized Property includes 9 smartphones, 6 keypad phones, 1 laptop; 10 SIM Cards; 6 chequebooks, 4 debit cards; PAN and Aadhaar cards; and Innova Crysta.

Job seekers are urged to be cautious about job offers/recruiters that ask for money upfront, and to verify the genuineness of the company / its representatives before sharing personal details and/or making any financial commitments.