Online job offer turns costly for Chandigarh man, duped of Rs 7.44 lakh | Chandigarh News
2 min readChandigarhMar 22, 2026 02:13 PM IST
A 35-year-old resident of Dhanas has been reportedly duped of Rs 7.44 lakh in an online “work-from-home” scam, following which a case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Sector 17.
According to the police, the victim was later added to a Telegram group, where he was persuaded to invest money on the promise of higher returns. Over time, he transferred money to multiple bank accounts provided by the accused, believing it to be part of the scheme.
Police said the fraudsters used multiple mobile numbers and online platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram, to execute the scam. The complainant alleged that after investing Rs 1.7 lakh initially, he was encouraged to deposit larger amounts. When he attempted to withdraw his money, his account was allegedly frozen and he was asked to pay an additional Rs 2.5 lakh to “unfreeze” it.
Despite making further payments, the accused continued to delay the withdrawal process, giving excuses such as low credit scores and demanding more money. Eventually, they stopped responding altogether, while the Telegram groups and contacts became unreachable. The total defrauded amount has been pegged at Rs 7,44,824.
The complainant has already registered multiple complaints on the Cyber Crime Portal and submitted bank transaction details to the police. Based on his complaint, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
DSP (Cyber Crime) A Venkatesh said that an investigation is underway to trace the accused, identify the bank accounts involved and recover the defrauded amount.
We urge citizens to remain cautious of online job offers promising quick returns and to verify such schemes before making any financial transactions, the DSP added.
