Cops bust work-from-home task scam, trace it to Delhi’s ‘crypto queen’

An FIR was registered in the matter on July 2 based on a complaint filed by a 29-year-old woman from Burari, who alleged that she was lured into a fraudulent Telegram-based scheme while searching for jobs. The fraudsters allegedly persuaded her to complete fabricated online “tasks” and make UPI payments with the promise of commissions. Unbeknownst to her, the accused also misused her credentials to take out personal loans worth Rs 8.8 lakh, police said.

Through technical surveillance, digital forensics, and financial transaction analysis, the police said they uncovered a complex laundering trail. The defrauded money was funneled through multiple mule bank accounts, converted into cryptocurrency (USDT Tether), and routed via Telegram-based crypto dealer groups, said police.

Raids were carried out at multiple locations across Delhi, leading to the arrest of the five accused.

During questioning, the key accused, Krish from Ashok Vihar, emerged as the central link between the victims and the crypto buyers, said police.

“Krish managed the flow of defrauded funds. He admitted to collecting UPI IDs and bank account details from his associates and forwarded the same to crypto-currency buyers through a Telegram-based channel. The funds received in these accounts were either withdrawn in cash or converted into USDT (Tether) crypto-currency through Nidhi Agarwal, who was operating locally by using international communication channels,” said DCP (North) Raja Banthia.

The police said that Deepa from Kabir Nagar admitted to sourcing and onboarding bank account holders willing to lend their accounts for money transfers. She also facilitated the physical movement of cash and introduced other members into the operation, including Gaurav from Sangam Park, who served as a middleman between account holders and Krish.

Gaurav brought in Manthan, a 19-year-old student from Jharoda village in Burari, who allowed his bank account to receive Rs 50,000 in stolen funds in exchange for a small commission, said police.

He allegedly also took part in the physical handover of cash for crypto conversion.

All three confirmed that cryptocurrency wallet addresses were shared over WhatsApp, and crypto transactions were handled under Krish’s coordination, said police.

Nidhi, referred to by the group as the ‘Crypto Queen’, allegedly played a crucial role in laundering money by converting the stolen funds into USDT. The police said that she admitted to purchasing crypto at wholesale rates from unregulated suppliers and reselling it at a profit. She also allegedly operated via WhatsApp and used international numbers provided by local contacts to evade detection. No official license for currency exchange or crypto trade was found in her possession, said police.

“These disclosures have uncovered a broader conspiracy involving foreign Telegram handlers, unlicensed crypto dealers and digital money laundering channels across national and international platforms. The investigation of this case is in progress and efforts are going on to ascertain the role of other associates involved in this racket and to recover the cheated amount,” said the DCP.