Ghatkopar woman forced to pawn family jewellery after falling victim to sophisticated multi-state task fraud on Whatsapp and Telegram
The scam began on November 12 when she clicked a link, moving from WhatsApp to a Telegram channel. Representation pic/istock
A 26-year-old Ghatkopar homemaker lost Rs 6.77 lakh in a Telegram task scam after responding to a social media ad for work-from-home Anganwadi jobs. The victim was forced to borrow heavily and pawn her and her mother's jewellery to meet the fraudsters' demands.
The scam began on November 12 when she clicked a link, moving from WhatsApp to a Telegram channel. An alleged HR executive from an “NSI corporate office” made contact, initially assigning small rating tasks and showing fake profit screenshots (Rs180, Rs 200) to build trust.
Over the next four days, fraudsters, using names like Gatali Kaul, Harit Kumar, and Gurwinder Kaur, continuously assigned increasingly expensive payment tasks, promising high commissions. When her deposits increased, a purported finance department claimed profits would only be released after more transfers.
By November 15, with her task account allegedly locked, the victim pawned gold and transferred multiple amounts ranging from Rs 800 to Rs 50,000. She later realised she received only Rs 27,670 in profit while over Rs 6.7 lakh was stolen.
An official stated that during verification, the funds were found to be routed through 15 mule bank accounts across Manipur, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Telangana, pointing to a wide, organised network operating via WhatsApp and Telegram channels. The case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and of the IT Act. Police are tracing the account handlers.
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