Ahmedabad: A 45-year-old woman from Khanpur was allegedly duped of ₹13.93 lakh by cyber fraudsters who promised her employment and a work permit visa in the United States using fabricated recruitment documents and a fake online interview.
The complainant, Neelam Samir Shaikh, approached Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police after discovering that the job offer was fraudulent. According to her complaint, the fraud occurred between August 7 and August 28.
The accused reportedly contacted Shaikh after she responded to an Instagram advertisement promoting US employment opportunities. A person identifying himself as Michael Kim subsequently approached her through WhatsApp and multiple email accounts.
To establish credibility, the fraudsters allegedly organised a Zoom interview in the name of Kulsan Engineering Company, with one of them posing as the company’s HR head and interviewing officer. Shaikh was subsequently informed that she had been selected for the position.
The accused allegedly strengthened the deception by sharing forged documents, including an employment offer letter, DS-160 visa application form, medical appointment confirmation, biometric appointment details and a purported US consular interview notice.
Multiple Transfers Made to Fraudsters
Convinced that the recruitment process was genuine, Shaikh transferred a cumulative ₹13.93 lakh into several bank accounts after being asked to pay various charges related to visa processing and employment formalities.
However, neither the promised employment nor the US work visa materialised. The accused allegedly stopped fulfilling their commitments and failed to return the money despite repeated requests.
Following her complaint, Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police registered a case against unidentified individuals linked to the WhatsApp numbers, email addresses and bank accounts allegedly involved.
Investigators are now attempting to identify those responsible and trace the transferred funds.
