New Delhi [India], May 19 (ANI): Delhi Police Cyber Police Station has busted a fake recruitment scam operating under the name National Rural Development and Recreation Mission (NRDRM) falsely projecting itself as part of Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, leading to the arrest of kingpin behind the racket.

Speaking with ANI, New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Devesh Mahala, said that the racket was busted following a complaint registered on March 22 last month. The complaint mentioned fraudulent recruitment advertisements being circulated through fake websites-ww.nrdrm.com and www.nrdrmvacany.com-featuring images of ministers and senior government officials to attract job seekers.

'The racket was unearth following a complaint dated 22 March from the Ministry of Rural Development, which reported the circulation of fraudulent recruitment advertisements on fake websites 'www.nrdrm.com' and 'www.nrdrmvacany.com' carrying images of ministers and senior government officials to lure the victim job seekers,' Mahala remarked.

The scammers asked for registration fees of Rs. 299 and Rs. 399 through a QR code displayed on the websites. The money was transferred to a bank account in Assam and then moved to several other accounts before being withdrawn via ATMs.

After reviewing hundreds of CCTV footages and using technical surveillance, police traced the suspect to Laxmi Nagar, Delhi. On May 18, they arrested Ikbal Hussain (27), a resident of Karimganj, Assam, who confessed to withdrawing the cash and handing it over to the racket's kingpin, Rashid Choudhury, from Hyderabad, Telangana.

Rashid was later arrested in a follow-up raid. He is said to be a habitual cybercriminal who ran a full-fledged operation with web developers, ad managers, and others responsible for acquiring SIM cards and bank accounts. Both men lived in rented flats in Laxmi Nagar area of Delhi.

The police recovered several items including, 11 mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, 15 debit cards, 21 cheque books, 5 portable Wi-Fi dongles, 1 POS machine, 4 fake stamps and 6 similar fake websites for the purpose of crime.

As per DCP Mahala, the case has been registered under sections 318(4)/319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The seized devices and accounts are being sent to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) for further investigation. Authorities are also working to trace more victims and arrest other members of the racket. (ANI)