The Special Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Hyderabad, convicted Jasdeep Singh Bains and Jaspal Singh Sohi for their involvement in an online job and multi-level marketing (MLM) scam. Both were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹2,000 each.
The case was initiated based on a complaint filed by B. Gopala Krishna Rao of Mehdipatnam, alleging that the accused had defrauded unemployed youth across India. Jasdeep Singh Bains established Dream Merchants 4U and its subsidiary, Online Job Work Company Pvt. Ltd., in Chandigarh, with active collaboration from Jaspal Singh Sohi.
The accused lured victims with promises of online computer data entry jobs offering ₹8,000 per month. Additionally, they introduced an MLM scheme requiring individuals to pay ₹16,500 as a membership fee, falsely promising commissions of ₹500 for every new member enrolled.
The scheme targeted unemployed youth, retired persons, and homemakers through elaborate seminars and marketing campaigns. The company operated branches nationwide, including Hyderabad, and enrolled 12,140 members, collecting ₹20 crore. Of these, 7,431 members were from erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
The case was registered in CID Hyderabad with charges framed under Sections 420 and 406 of IPC, read with Sections 3 and 4 of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banning) Act.
The CID team examined 31 witnesses and gathered 58 documents as evidence. They established that the accused had defrauded victims by operating an illegal money circulation scheme under the guise of online job opportunities.
After years of investigation and legal proceedings, the Special Court at Nampally found both accused guilty. On December 5, the court sentenced them to two years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000 each.
Published – December 08, 2024 06:00 am IST
