Jammu & Kashmir:  In a significant operation, Handwara police have successfully dismantled a notorious gang involved in orchestrating a honey trap scheme and job scam across North and Central Kashmir.

Operating in districts like  Baramulla, Bandipora, Handwara, Ganderbal  and Srinagar, the accused preyed on unsuspecting individuals, offering deceitful promises of government jobs, orchestrating fraudulent marriages and promoting fake inverter schemes.

Posing as professionals such as doctors, engineers, and government employees seeking marriage, the perpetrators utilized various manipulative tactics, accumulating substantial sums, particularly from vulnerable segments of society.

The fraudulent activities spanned promises of government employment, sham marriage proposals and a deceptive inverter scheme. 

In the latter, the accused, disguising themselves as Engineers from the Power Development Department, duped individuals into paying an advance of Rs 4200  for inverters purportedly provided by the department.

Pertinenty, Handwara police acted swiftly, registering Case FIR No. 01/2024 under relevant sections of the law at the Kralgund police station. 

The investigation, still in its early stages, anticipates further arrests as authorities diligently work to dismantle the entire network behind these fraudulent activities.

"The perpetrators exploited the trust of gullible people, posing as professionals to carry out their deceitful operations. We are working diligently to uncover every detail of this complex honey trap and job scam," said an official part of the investigation.

"We urge citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities," he added. 

In Nov 2023, Javeed Ahmed Rather was apprehended for purportedly posing as a CBI officer in Baramulla district, where he allegedly swindled a resident of lakhs of rupees.  The arrest followed a complaint from Farooq Ahmad Wani, who claimed that Rather, under the guise of a CBI officer, promised to secure a spot for his child at the NDA. 

JKP spokesperson then said that they recovered a counterfeit identity card and stolen items from the accused and the investigation pertaining to the case is still on.