The Cyber Crime Department arrested an engineering graduate for allegedly duping job aspirants through fake email accounts, and produced the accused before the media here on Saturday.
The accused Tapan Tulo (24), resident of Nabrangpur, Odisha, a B. Tech mechanical engineer from a reputed college in Odisha and currently studying MBA in Bangalore, hosted job advertisements in a website by name www.quicker.com, to attract job aspirants.
According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) S. Varada Raju, he also created two fake email ids such as 1lokeshsankar@gmail.com and lokeshazurex@gmail.com, and corresponded with the aspirants, promising them jobs in reputed companies such as Essar Steels and Tata Steels. “After gaining confidence of the aspirants, he o sent them appointment letters on fake letterheads printed in the name of the companies and asked for Rs. 5,000 to be deposited in bank accounts, as processing fees,” said the ADCP.
He opened over 10 accounts in various banks such as Axis Bank, Canara Bank and Bank of India. “All the correspondence was through email and the amount transfer was made online,” said Mr. Raju.
The crime had come to light when two job aspirants from Visakhapatnam had gone to a company with the offer letters and they were told that the letters were fake. “They lodged a complaint with the department and on investigation we zeroed in on him at Bangalore,” said Cyber Crime Department Inspector K. Satyanarayana Rao.
The department has so far received 10 such complaints, but it is reported that the accused had duped over 70 persons across the country.
The police seized all his accounts and recovered Rs. 9,842 while the remaining amount was stated to be already spent by him. The accused was booked under Section 66 C and D of IT Act.