Bengaluru couple held for duping job seekers with fake work-from-home offers

BENGALURU: Devanahalli police have arrested a couple for allegedly cheating people out of crores of rupees by luring them with fake work-from-home job offers promoted on social media.

The accused, Kiran Kumar and his wife, Aarthi, allegedly operated through a firm named Shri Kalika Devi Enterprises.

According to the police, the couple advertised work-from-home opportunities on Instagram, offering monthly salaries for packing products such as incense sticks, camphor, paper plates, dry fruits and other household items. Applicants were promised a monthly salary of Rs 23,000 and were asked to pay a security deposit of Rs 1 lakh to receive the raw materials required for the packing work.

Believing the offer to be genuine, several victims reportedly borrowed money and deposited amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 20 lakh with the accused. The duo allegedly paid salaries for the first few months before stopping the payments, refusing to refund the security deposits and absconding.