Lured by easy returns, Panchkula HR consultant loses ₹8 lakh

On August 21,the Panchkula resident received a message on his mobile phone, offering money in exchange for subscribing to YouTube channels

Looking to make easy income by “subscribing to YouTube channels”, a resident of Amravati Enclave ended up losing ₹8 lakh to cyber criminals.

Manoj Kumar, who lives in DLF Valley, Amravati Enclave, Panchkula, told police that he worked as an HR consultant. (HT Photo)

Manoj Kumar, who lives in DLF Valley, Amravati Enclave, told police that he worked as an HR consultant. On August 21, he received a message on his mobile phone, offering money in exchange for subscribing to YouTube channels.

He clicked on the link in the text message and started subscribing to YouTube channels for which he was paid ₹150 per subscription. He was then added to a Telegram group and got ₹3,000 for the tasks performed. Eventually, he was asked to deposit some amount for higher returns, which he did and even got returns.

Trusting the process, he deposited ₹8 lakh more. But when he wanted to withdraw the money, he was told to deposit ₹10 lakh more for that. Realising that he had been duped, he approached the police.

The cyber crime police station has registered a case under Sections 316 (2) (criminal breach of trust), 318 (4) (cheating) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and launched a probe to track down the fraudsters.