Delhi Police bust fake airline job racket, six held including website developer, tele-callers

Delhi Police bust fake airline job racket; six arrested

The Cyber Police Station of Delhi Police's Central District has arrested six people in connection with a fake airline job racket that allegedly operated under the names 'Bretish Airways' and 'Future Wings Learning Institute'. Police said the accused targeted job aspirants through fake websites and social media advertisements, offering positions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and demanding between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 as admission or registration fees for aviation courses.

The arrested individuals include the alleged mastermind, his associate, a website developer, and three tele-callers. According to police, the mastermind and his associate were arrested on August 18, while the others were taken into custody last week. The tele-callers, three women aged between 20 and 25, reportedly posed as HR executives of the fictional airline.

The case came to light after a complainant, identified as Vikas Kumar, a resident of Paharganj, reported that he saw an Instagram advertisement on June 10 offering a job at 'Bretish Airways'. After submitting his details, he received a call from a woman who introduced herself as 'Karishma, HR Bretish Airways'. She collected his PAN card, Aadhaar card, marksheets, and CV via WhatsApp and told him that a diploma in Airport or Aviation Management from 'Future Wings Learning Institute' was mandatory for the job.

Kumar transferred Rs 7,000 through UPI. In return, he received a fake admission slip, a no-objection certificate, and a job offer letter. He later became suspicious when he could not find any airline by that name and the accused stopped responding to his calls. He then lodged a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) helpline 1930.

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered on July 14 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. During the investigation, police conducted technical analysis of mobile numbers, UPI transactions, bank accounts, and website registration details, which led them to the accused in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Police have seized two laptops, eight mobile phones, eight SIM cards, and two registers containing data of job seekers. They have also found 10 complaints on the NCRP linked to the alleged racket. Investigators believe that many more victims may not have reported the fraud due to the relatively small amounts involved.

Additional DCP-II (Central) Prashant Choudhary said, "Analysis of the mobile number, UPI transaction and website registration details led us to the accused. The payments were directly collected by the accused, which helped us trace their location."

Police said that the accused had been operating the racket for about four to five months, targeting victims from Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Punjab. The mastermind, Sandeep Kumar, 23, of Greater Noida, reportedly learned the modus operandi while working as a tele-caller for similar fraudulent enterprises. His associate, Akhil Kumar, 27, of Moradabad, partnered with him on a 50-50 basis. The website developer, Rakesh Kumar, 47, of Greater Noida West, was responsible for designing and hosting the fake websites for a fee. The tele-callers were identified as Shweta, Sapna, and Sakshi; Sapna allegedly used the fake name 'Karishma'.

Delhi Police have advised citizens to verify job offers received through social media and to rely only on official and verified sources before making any payments.