Man arrested for duping student in fake job scam

A 30-year-old man was arrested by the cyber crime wing of the Hyderabad Police for duping a student of ₹1.70 lakh in a fake job racket by posing as an HR representative of Accenture. The accused, identified as Ponnaganti Tej Kumar of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, is a habitual offender with multiple cases of cyber fraud registered against him in the tri-commissionerates of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda.

According to police, the victim, a 23-year-old student from Asifnagar, was contacted through WhatsApp by the accused, who referred to his resume and offered him a job with a package of ₹6.5 lakh per annum. To make the offer appear authentic, he used a spoofed email resembling that of a genuine Accenture employee. Believing it to be genuine, the victim transferred ₹1.70 lakh in four instalments between July 27 and 31, 2025 as ‘processing charges’. Once the payments were made, the accused stopped responding, prompting the victim to file a complaint.

Following a complaint, the police registered a case under the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested Tej Kumar, seizing his mobile phone used in the fraud. Investigators said he has been involved in similar scams since 2022, with cases registered in Kukatpally, Jubilee Hills, Abdullapurmet and Kesara police stations.

Officials have advised job-seekers to exercise caution, verify offers directly with companies, and never pay money for employment opportunities.

Citizens have been urged to report suspicious job offers to the Cyber Crime helpline 1930 or through the national portal www.cybercrime.gov.in.