https://www.outlookmoney.com/news/sebi-relaxes-esm-norms-for-smallcap-stocks-under-rs-1000-crore-market-cap

Officials from Delhi Police have detained four people on allegations of conducting an elaborate scam that involved fake remote employment offers and cryptocurrency money laundering.

The arrested men have been identified as Ankur Mishra, Kratarth, Vishwash Sharma, and Ketan Mishra. The group allegedly lured victims via social media platforms by offering part-time jobs, such as website reviews. The victims were initially compensated with modest amounts such as Rs 50 for each task to build trust. With the promise of higher returns for more lucrative assignments, they were soon asked to deposit higher amount of money.

The case came to light after a Delhi-based man filed a complaint in May 2025, stating that he was conned into transferring Rs 17.49 lakh through a series of transactions. Delhi Police discovered during the inquiry that Rs 5 lakh of the stolen money had been transferred to a bank account belonging to Ankur Mishra, according to a report by PTI. CCTV footage and banking transaction data helped establish the suspects’ roles. Two of them were caught on surveillance cameras withdrawing cash using cheques.

The cyber fraud operation was not confined to Delhi. The accused were also operating from cities, such as Lucknow and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and Bhopal and Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh. The arrests were the result of several operations conducted in these cities using sophisticated surveillance.

Apparently, the group used a layered financial trail to mask their movements. Before the stolen funds were transformed into a cryptocurrency, namely USDT or Tether, a Stablecoin pegged to the dollar, they were routed through a number of bank accounts. This method made it more difficult for banks and enforcement agencies to trace the flow of funds.

Work from home frauds continue to thrive as a result of the growing demand for remote income alternatives. Some of these fraudulent schemes begin with jobs that look legitimate, but they eventually use deceptive payment traps to cause financial losses to the victims.