The Special Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Hyderabad, convicted Jasdeep Singh Bains and Jaspal Singh Sohi for their involvement in an online activity and a multi-level marketing (MLM) scam. Both were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and fined R2,000 each.
The case was initiated based on the complaint filed by B. Gopala Krishna Rao of Mehdipatnam, alleging that the accused cheated unemployed youth across India. Jasdeep Singh Bains founded Dream Merchants 4U and its website, Online Job Work Company Pvt. Ltd., Chandigarh, with active cooperation from Jaspal Singh Sohi.
The accused lured the victims with promises of online computer data entry jobs offering R8,000 a month. Additionally, they launched an MLM program that required individuals to pay ₹16,500 as a membership fee, falsely promising commissions of ₹500 for each new member signed up.
The program targets unemployed youth, retirees, and household managers through detailed seminars and marketing campaigns. The company operated branches across the country, including Hyderabad, and enrolled 12,140 members, collecting ₹20 crore. Of these, 7,431 members were from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
A case was registered at the CID Hyderabad with charges framed under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC, read with Sections 3 and 4 of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banning) Act.
The CID team examined 31 witnesses and collected 58 documents as evidence. They discovered that the suspects had defrauded the victims by using an illegal money distribution system under the guise of online job opportunities.
After years of investigation and legal action, the Nampally Special Court found both accused guilty. On December 5, the court sentenced them to two years in prison and fined them R2 000 each.
Published – December 08, 2024 06:00 am IST
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