Gangtok Police report surge in cyber fraud, job scam cases; Losses cross Rs 15 lakh

Police in Gangtok have reported a sharp rise in financial crimes, with three major cases of cyber fraud and job racketeering leading to losses exceeding Rs 15 lakh. Authorities have urged the public to remain cautious as fraudsters adopt increasingly sophisticated methods, including OTP scams, social media traps, and fake job offers.

In the Singtam area, two residents were targeted in separate cyber fraud incidents on April 19. In one case, a victim lost over Rs 6.5 lakh after being tricked into sharing a One-Time Password (OTP) during a phone call, enabling scammers to carry out multiple unauthorised IMPS transactions.

In another incident, a person was cheated of Rs 62,000 through a Telegram-based “task” scam. The victim was initially offered small rewards for completing simple online tasks, before being lured into investing in cryptocurrency. When the victim attempted to withdraw the promised returns, the fraudsters demanded additional payments to “unlock” the funds.

Separately, Sadar Police Station has registered a case involving an alleged job racket. A local resident reported losing Rs 8 lakh to an individual who had promised to secure a government job for the victim’s son in 2024. The accused neither arranged the job nor returned the money. The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to cheating and financial misappropriation.

Police have also continued routine enforcement, issuing two challans under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Issuing an advisory, officials warned that legitimate institutions never ask for OTPs over phone calls and reiterated that government jobs are strictly merit-based, involving no cash transactions. Citizens have been urged to report any suspected fraud through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at the earliest.