New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS): The Cyber Police Station of Delhi's Central District has busted a fake airline job racket operating under the names "Bretish Airways" and Future Wings Learning Institute, apprehending six people, including the mastermind, his associate, a website developer, and three tele-callers.
The accused used fake websites and social media advertisements to lure job seekers with promises of employment at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Victims were induced to pay between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 as purported admission or registration fees for aviation-related courses.
Two laptops, eight mobile phones, eight SIM cards and two registers containing data of job seekers and other information have been seized during the investigation. Police have also found 10 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) linked to the alleged racket.
The case came to light following a complaint received at the Cyber Police Station, Central District. According to the complainant, on June 10, he came across an advertisement on Instagram for “Bretish Airways”, which claimed to offer a job at IGI Airport, Delhi. He filled in his details through the advertisement and was subsequently contacted by a woman who introduced herself as “Karishma, HR Bretish Airways”.
The caller collected his documents, including his PAN card, Aadhaar card, marksheets and CV, through WhatsApp. She then informed him that obtaining a diploma in Airport or Aviation Management from “Future Wings Learning Institute” was mandatory for securing the job.
On this pretext, the complainant was persuaded to transfer a total of Rs 7,000 through UPI from his bank accounts. After receiving the money, the accused sent him a fake admission slip, a no-objection certificate, and a fake job offer letter.
The complainant later became suspicious when he could not find any legitimate airline operating under the name "Bretish Airways". The mobile numbers used by the fraudsters also stopped responding. He subsequently lodged a complaint on the NCRP through the cyber fraud helpline number 1930.
Based on his complaint, FIR No. 34/2026 was registered on July 14, at the Cyber Police Station, Central District, under Sections 318(4), 319(2) and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation was launched to identify and apprehend those operating the racket.
Considering the seriousness of the case, a dedicated police team comprising SI Ankur Sejwal, HCs Harvinder, Deepak, Jaikishan, and Deeksha was constituted under the close supervision of the SHO of Cyber Police Station, Central District, and the overall supervision of ACP/Operations, Central District.
During the investigation, police conducted a detailed technical analysis of the mobile numbers used by the accused. Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR), broadband details, UPI and bank account transactions, payment trails and website registration information were also examined.
On the basis of technical evidence and the money trail, police traced the alleged operators of the racket to Noida. The mastermind, Sandeep Kumar, and his associate, Akhil Kumar, were arrested on August 18.
During sustained questioning and further technical investigation, police uncovered the wider network involved in the operation. The role of a website developer, who designed and hosted the fraudulent websites, and three tele-callers engaged to contact prospective victims also came to light.
Police said incriminating material, including mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, registers and WhatsApp chat records, was subsequently taken into possession.
According to the investigation, Sandeep Kumar had earlier worked as a tele-caller with companies involved in fake aviation job schemes. During that period, he allegedly learnt the modus operandi used to target and cheat job aspirants.
Police said he later started his own fraudulent venture under the name “Pragati Airways”. He subsequently entered into a 50-50 partnership with Akhil Kumar, following which they set up the fake entities “Bretish Airways” and “Future Wings Learning Institute” from a rented office at Gaur City Centre Mall in Noida.
The accused hired a website developer to design and host websites for the two entities. They then purchased data of job seekers from online employment portals and employed women as tele-callers.
The tele-callers contacted job aspirants while posing as human resources executives from the aviation sector. Using false identities, they convinced candidates that they needed to enrol in an aviation diploma or online training courses before becoming eligible for employment.
Candidates were asked to pay between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 as admission or registration fees. To maintain the deception and gain the confidence of victims, the accused issued fake admission slips, certificates and job offer letters.
Police said the accused frequently changed their office locations and websites and broke or discarded SIM cards and mobile phones to evade detection.
After complaints began surfacing against "Bretish Airways”, the accused floated fresh websites under the names “Shankh Airways” and “Excellence Learning Institute” and began operating from another rented office.
The six accused apprehended in the case include Sandeep Kumar, 23, a resident of Greater Noida, who operated “Bretish Airways” and “Future Wings Learning Institute” and is suspected to be the mastermind of the racket.
Akhil Kumar, 27, a resident of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, was Sandeep's associate and an equal partner in the operation. Police said a bank account allegedly used to receive the cheated money was linked to him.
Rakesh Kumar, 47, a resident of Greater Noida West in Ghaziabad, was responsible for designing and hosting the fake websites for a fee.
The three tele-callers apprehended are Shweta, a resident of Old Habatpur in Uttar Pradesh; Sapna, who contacted victims using the fake name “Karishma”; and Sakshi, 20, a resident of Ghaziabad.
Scrutiny of the NCRP revealed 10 complaints lodged by different victims that were linked to “Bretish Airways” and the mobile numbers and bank accounts used by the accused in the present case.
Police are now working to establish additional links between the complaints and determine the full scale of the cheating. Investigators said many victims may not have reported the fraud because the amount taken from each individual was comparatively small.
Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other persons who may have been involved in the wider network of fake airline and aviation job websites.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
