2 Airtel workers held for providing fake numbers to fraudsters

The police have arrested two Airtel employees, for allegedly providing virtual phone numbers to Indonesian and Chinese fraudsters who deceived local youths by offering fake job opportunities and task-based investment schemes.

Priyanshu Diwan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (cybercrime), said a joint operation by the Cyber Crime (East) police station in Gurugram and the Indian Cyber Coordination Centre (ICCC) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs led to the arrests of Neeraj Walia and Hemant. The police have filed a case under Sections 318(4), 319 and 61(2) of the BNS against the duo.

The case stemmed from a complaint by a local resident who reported receiving a call from a landline number based in Gurugram. The caller offered a part-time job involving posting hotel reviews, with Rs 200 promised per completed task. After the victim fulfilled a few tasks, small sums of money were transferred to his account. However, the fraudsters later convinced the victim to invest money for further tasks, promising higher profits. The victim transferred more funds; however, the promised returns were never received.

During interrogation, the police discovered Neeraj worked as a site verifier for Airtel and Hemant was his team leader. They had issued the landline number used in the scam under the name of Ekamdarsh Services Private Limited, a company that was not registered at the provided address, thereby violating telecom regulatory rules. Using this number, the fraudsters targeted individuals with fake job offers and investment schemes.