How a Bengaluru ‘agency’ lured a Delhi chef with promise of a dream job abroad — wiped his account of Rs 1.73 lakh

In August this year, when he got to know of a possible gig overseas, he was elated.

A fellow chef recommended that Arun check out a Bengaluru-based ‘agency’, which regularly posts job opportunities in other countries on their WhatsApp group. The name of the agency: Educate Consultancy.

“I worked in Japan for over a decade, from 2001 to 2010. It was good money… foreign currency. So I thought if I do one more such job for a couple of more years, I will have enough to marry off my daughters. And then I could retire,” said Arun.

The trap

His friend forwarded the link to the group — FLYABROAD 6 — and Arun contacted the admin. “He said his name was Kiran. He forwarded his Aadhaar card on WhatsApp and was talking in a Kannada accent. So the Bengaluru part checked out. He reassured me, saying that it was not a scam. I was then added to the WhatsApp group,” said Arun.

FLYABROAD 6, he said, was full of pictures of immigration papers, e-visas, and even video of airports where Kiran’s “clients” were beaming while standing in queues for their overseas flights.

Arun called Kiran back. “He told me the total cost, along with the tickets, would be around Rs 2.80 lakh. He said he would take care of everything — from embassy documents, to visa approvals, and other charges. I told him I wouldn’t be able to pay so much. So, he came down to Rs 2.25 lakh,” said Arun.

Arun had known chefs who managed to get jobs overseas using similar WhatsApp groups. And there weren’t many options available either, he says.

He took the bait.

In late August, Kiran told Arun that an opportunity had come by. A hotel in Auckland was looking for someone like Arun, someone with experience in Japanese cuisine. “Kiran asked me for Rs 25,000 for starting the paperwork with the New Zealand Embassy. I took a loan from my friend and paid,” he said.

The unravelling

What Arun didn’t realise at the time was that he was caught in a familiar cyber scam — and the amount he had paid was just the first of many installments that would eventually drain him completely.

He was sent a copy of an “appointment letter” from the hotel. “I paid Kiran Rs 15,000 and got a copy of my e-Visa in September. I then paid Rs 10,000 more,” said Arun.

On September 6, he was told he had to make another payment — Rs 1.48 lakh for his tickets. He paid the money.

“They told me that my flight is from Mumbai and I have to go there from Delhi, but would get a refund for that ticket. They sent me the tickets on September 7,” said Arun, before bursting into tears.

However, a sudden flicker of doubt crept into his mind. Arun asked Kiran where his office was, to be told it was in Shivaji Nagar in Bengaluru.

“I randomly Googled his office, and didn’t find anything. So I asked him. He assured me that everything was fine. The next thing I knew, he started avoiding my calls. He would text me saying his mother was ill or that he was stuck with something. The last text I received was on September 15. I kept calling…,” Arun said, sobbing continuously.

On September 20, he approached the police. An FIR was subsequently registered on October 7 at the Cyber Police Station in Southwest district.

The arrests

On December 2, the Delhi Police arrested three men, including an MBA graduate and an assistant bank manager, for allegedly running an interstate cyber fraud syndicate that duped job seekers — like Arun — with fake overseas employment offers.

Police said the accused were identified as Ketan Deepak Kumar (24) from Gujarat; Sanjib Mondal (34) from West Bengal; and Ravi Kumar Mishra (29) an assistant manager at Sarvodaya Bank who previously worked with Yes Bank. Police said the gang lured victims with promises of high-paying jobs abroad and used bank accounts opened using forged documents to route cheated money.

Officers said the trio worked together to create a network of mule accounts, communicate with targets through WhatsApp, and layer transactions to conceal the trail of funds. Six mobile phones, including a calling device, two laptops and Rs 50,000 allegedly linked to the fraud were recovered.

Officers said the complainant, Arun, was shown fake visa documents and firm registration papers to gain his trust, after which he paid Rs 1.8 lakh. When the accused stopped responding, Arun verified the documents and found them to be forged.

DCP (Southwest) Amit Goel said, “The cheated amount was first deposited into a Yes Bank mule account, then layered into another Yes Bank account to disguise its origins. Mule account holders were traced to Gurgaon and the device locations pointed towards Anand district in Gujarat, followed by multiple interstate hideouts. After sustained surveillance, the first accused, Ketan, was arrested from Rishikesh in Uttarakhand on November 9, with the primary calling device.”

Following Ketan’s questioning, Sanjib was arrested from Kolkata on November 13. Ravi, who allegedly opened bank accounts of unsuspecting individuals under the pretext of offering loan assistance before handing them over to the syndicate, was arrested from Gurgaon on November 17.

Police said Ketan, a BTech dropout who worked as a travel agent, coordinated the procurement of mule accounts; Sanjib, an MBA graduate from Doon Business School, posed as the job consultant who convinced victims to transfer money; while Mishra used his banking position to facilitate account openings in exchange for commission.