- Ganga Anusha was lured by a fake work-from-home job ad promising easy income
- She initially invested Rs 1,000 and later sold gold jewellery to fund further payments
- Anusha’s app showed fake profits, but she never received any money in her bank account
A young woman in Hyderabad died by suicide after losing nearly Rs 1 lakh in a sophisticated work-from-home scam orchestrated via Telegram.
The victim, identified as Ganga Anusha, a resident of Tulasi Nagar, was reportedly lured by the promise of easy income through a fraudulent online job advertisement.
Anusha, originally from Kanchusthambham Palem in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district, had been married for five years to Venkanna Babu, a software professional, and the couple lived with their young son in Hyderabad.
The elaborate deception began when Anusha encountered a work-from-home advertisement on the Telegram app. Believing it to be a legitimate opportunity, she made an initial payment of Rs 1,000 as requested by the fraudsters.
Her app dashboard soon displayed a misleading "profit" of Rs 7,000, which, however, never materialised in her bank account.
When Anusha attempted to withdraw the supposed earnings, the scammers informed her that further investment was required to access the funds. Desperate to recover her initial outlay and lured by the promise of profits, Anusha tragically sold her gold jewelry to arrange more funds.
She continued to invest repeatedly, hoping to recoup her losses, but instead, she ended up losing close to Rs 1 lakh.
Upon realising she had been duped after multiple failed attempts to contact the fraudsters, Anusha reportedly fell into a deep depression. The immense financial loss and emotional trauma proved unbearable, leading her to die by suicide.
Before her death, she left a note, specifically warning others against falling victim to similar scams on Telegram, describing the platform as a "hub of fraud" and urging caution.
The police have registered a case and launched a thorough investigation into the cyber fraud that ultimately led to Anusha's death.
The tragedy has once again come as a stark reminder for public awareness regarding online scams and the importance of verifying job offers and investment opportunities before committing any funds.
