Arrest and Allegations
A man has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly running a fake aviation recruitment and admission racket that used a counterfeit website in the name of Noida International Airport to target jobseekers and students. The accused, identified as Ajay, was arrested in Ghaziabad on August 21, according to police. Five other members of the gang had already been arrested and sent to jail on July 8 in connection with the same case.
The police said the gang operated a fake call centre under the name Lambodar Institute in Sector 22, Noida. Its members posed as representatives of reputed airlines and aviation training institutes, promising candidates jobs and admissions. The accused would then demand money at different stages, including registration, admission, training, medical examinations, uniforms, security deposits, and processing fees. Payments were collected online, police said.
To gain the trust of jobseekers, the gang allegedly prepared fake offer letters, admission confirmations, certificates, and other documents. Police said the accused also created a fake website in the name of Noida International Airport and misused the names and logos of several institutions.
Investigation and Scale
According to investigators, the money collected from the people was transferred to multiple bank accounts that were used as mule accounts. The proceeds were subsequently distributed among members of the gang.
Police suspect the gang may have targeted at least 100 people, defrauding them of about ₹15-20 lakh. An investigating officer, requesting anonymity, said: "We are still verifying details of the victims and their bank accounts. We estimate that at least ₹15-20 lakh was defrauded."
According to the FIR registered against the five suspects arrested earlier, police seized 18 mobile phones, including nine Android phones and nine keypad phones, six laptops, a CPU, five headphones, nine SIM cards, two cheque books, four debit cards, one credit card, two company seals, fake certificates, and 13 work-calling documents. A case was registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to cheating, cheating by personation, causing disappearance of evidence, and criminal conspiracy, as well as sections of the Information Technology Act pertaining to identity theft and cheating by personation using computer resources.
Police Advisory
Following the arrest, police issued a warning to job seekers, advising them to verify job and admission offers directly through the official websites of concerned companies before making any payment. They also urged people to report suspected cyber fraud by calling the helpline number 1930 or through the government's cybercrime reporting portal.
The investigation is continuing, with police examining financial transactions and the role of other people who may have been involved.