A Varanasi resident has alleged that cyber fraudsters cheated him of ₹3.59 lakh after luring him with an online part-time job offer and initially paying small amounts to gain his confidence. The victim, Yash Krishnani, has approached the cybercrime police seeking recovery of his money after a series of transactions carried out between August 11 and 13.
According to the complaint, Krishnani received a part-time job proposal through a WhatsApp group on the morning of August 11. After agreeing to participate, he was sent a Telegram link and added to a channel. A woman identifying herself as a finance manager then allegedly contacted him and explained the work and promised returns.
Krishnani said he was initially asked to deposit money. After he made the first payment, the amount was returned along with a profit. This early payment allegedly encouraged him to continue with the scheme.
Small Returns Allegedly Used to Build Trust
The alleged fraud began with relatively small transactions. On the evening of August 11, Krishnani transferred ₹2,000 through UPI after being instructed by the woman. The money was later returned to him along with a profit.
On the morning of August 12, he received a message asking him to invest ₹5,000. He transferred the amount through UPI at around 10.25 am. After some time, the money was again returned with a profit, according to his account.
The demands then increased. Krishnani alleged that he was asked to deposit more money on the pretext of unlocking earlier funds and earning further profits. He transferred ₹32,800 at 1.44 pm and another ₹20,000 at 2.52 pm.
He said he deposited a total of ₹52,800 during this stage. After that, the fraudsters allegedly claimed that an incorrect transaction had been made and that redemption points were not working. His account was purportedly frozen, and he was asked to deposit additional money to release the funds.
More Than ₹2.20 Lakh Transferred on August 12
Krishnani alleged that he subsequently made several more payments on August 12 after being told that the money was necessary to recover his earlier deposits.
According to the complaint, he transferred ₹45,900 at 5.40 pm, ₹54,225 at 5.44 pm, ₹26,650 at 7.34 pm and ₹35,875 at 7.45 pm. The transactions made that day amounted to ₹2,20,450.
Despite the repeated payments, the promised money was not returned. The demands allegedly continued the following morning.
On August 13, Krishnani said he received another Telegram message informing him that he needed to make one more payment to get his money back. He expressed his inability to arrange further funds, but was allegedly told to arrange money from somewhere and deposit it.
Further Payments Followed Before Contact Was Cut
Krishnani said he transferred ₹19,542 through UPI at around 10.21 am on August 13 after being assured that his money would be returned later in the day.
He alleged that another ₹1 lakh was demanded within about 20 minutes, followed by a further demand for ₹20,000. When he said he could not arrange another ₹1.7 lakh, the fraudsters allegedly blocked his number and removed him from the Telegram group.
Krishnani alleged that he was cheated of approximately ₹3.59 lakh across 11 transactions. He has approached the cybercrime police seeking assistance in recovering the money. At the time reflected in the report, his complaint had not yet been registered online.
