UP Police rescues 300 trainees, arrests 19 in fake network marketing job scam

Lucknow,UPDATED: Jul 11, 2026 08:49 IST

In a major crackdown under the Uttar Pradesh Police's statewide Cyber Vajra campaign, the Varanasi Police and the cyber crime unit rescued nearly 300 youths who were allegedly being held at a training centre and arrested 19 people, including the alleged mastermind of an interstate cyber fraud racket operating under the guise of a corporate office.

According to police, the accused ran an illegal multi-level marketing (MLM) and pyramid scheme, allegedly duping unemployed youths from several states by promising jobs and collecting registration fees amounting to lakhs of rupees.

DCP (Crime) Neetu Kadyan said the gang operated through a fake company named Mahadev Enterprises while claiming to be a franchise of Royal Health Wellness Private Limited. The accused allegedly contacted unemployed youths from states including Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, offering office jobs, Tata company jobs or agricultural work in Varanasi with a promised monthly salary of Rs 25,000.

Young men were called to Varanasi, where they were made to attend interviews in what police described as a professionally designed corporate office setup. They were then allegedly asked to pay between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 as joining or registration fees. In return, they were provided basic kits containing items such as clothes, oil and soap worth only around Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.

Police alleged that after joining, the recruits were shifted to a training centre, where they were psychologically manipulated and encouraged to aspire to a luxurious lifestyle. They were allegedly pressured to enrol at least three relatives or friends into the network. Those who failed to do so were threatened with non-payment of salary and denial of refunds.

Officials said that the racket also has links to cyber fraud. So far, five complaints have been registered against the accused on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), while four additional written complaints have been received from those duped, taking the total number of complaints to nine.

A preliminary examination of the gang's bank accounts revealed transactions worth nearly Rs 4 crore credited over the past year, police said, adding that the financial trail is being investigated in detail.

During the operation, police recovered 20 mobile phones of various brands, including Android devices and an iPhone 17 Pro, along with SIM cards and IMEI records. Officials said the devices contain chats and audio recordings related to the alleged fraud. An ASUS laptop, two four-wheelers, Rs 4,020 in cash, around Rs 1 lakh held in bank accounts, and several corporate documents linked to Mahadev Enterprises were also seized.

The arrested accused include alleged kingpin Deepak Kumar Shah (31), a resident of Jamui district in Bihar, along with 18 others from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Police said further investigation in the matter is underway.

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(With inputs from Roushan Kumar.)