The Anna Salai Police have arrested three men for allegedly cheating job seekers by offering work-from-home employment opportunities and collecting advance payments.
The police said a 26-year-old woman from Kolathur who was looking for a work-from-home job, was allegedly cheated after being promised employment by a woman claiming to be a human resources (HR) executive of a private company.
On May 20, 2026, the woman visited a commercial complex in Royapettah, where she came across the woman who introduced herself as an HR executive. The latter subsequently contacted her over phone and offered her a job in the company. She told the complainant that she had to pay ₹4,500 in advance to install a software in her laptop for working from home.
The complainant transferred ₹4,500 through a PhonePe QR code sent by the woman. However, no further information about the job was provided, and the promised employment did not materialise.
When the complainant visited the company to enquire about the offer, she was told that its owner, Aaron, was responsible for recruitment. Despite several attempts, she could not contact him. Later, she learnt that several others had allegedly been cheated in a similar manner, and lodged a complaint.
Based on her complaint, the Crime Branch of Anna Salai police station registered a case under cheating and Information Technology Act provisions.
On October 6, the police arrested the prime accused, Aaron, 31, of Vilankadupakkam. ₹2.49 lakh and a mobile phone was seized from him.
Based on information obtained during interrogation, the police arrested two more suspects — Gokulnath, 26, of Madhavaram, and Ajmal Basha, 32, of Kodungaiyur — on October 7.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the three men allegedly operated as a gang and maintained offices in different parts of Chennai. They contacted job seekers over phone, promised employment, and collected money as ‘advance payments’ and ‘registration fees’.
Mobile phones and other articles seized from the accused were being examined as part of the investigation. The police were also probing their bank accounts, financial transactions, phone numbers, electronic devices, and the offices allegedly used in the operation.
Further investigations are under way to ascertain whether more people were involved and identify other victims who may have been cheated in a similar manner.
Published – October 10, 2026 12:26 am IST
