Delhi Police Bust Fake ‘Bretish Airways’ Job Racket; Six Arrested in Organised Aviation Scam

New Delhi, August 24, 2026, In a major crackdown on cyber-enabled job fraud, the Cyber Police Station of Delhi Police’s Central District has dismantled an organised racket that operated under the fictitious names “Bretish Airways” and “Future Wings Learning Institute.” Six people, including the alleged mastermind, his partner, a website developer and three tele-callers, have been arrested for cheating job aspirants with promises of employment at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

Police said the accused used fake websites, Instagram advertisements and women posing as human-resource executives to lure unemployed youth. Victims were persuaded to pay between ₹7,000 and ₹10,000 as “mandatory” registration or admission fees for bogus aviation courses before the promised airport jobs would materialise.

How the Case Unfolded - Fake Instagram ads

The racket came to light after a complainant approached authorities. On June 10, 2026, the victim spotted an Instagram advertisement offering jobs with “Bretish Airways” at IGI Airport. After submitting his details, he received a call from a woman identifying herself as “Karishma,” claiming to be an HR executive of the airline.

She collected his PAN card, Aadhaar card, marksheets and curriculum vitae over WhatsApp and insisted that a diploma in Airport/Aviation Management from “Future Wings Learning Institute” was compulsory. The complainant transferred ₹7,000 via UPI and was promptly issued a fake admission slip, a no-objection certificate (NOC) and a job offer letter.

When he discovered that no legitimate airline named Bretish Airways existed and the contact numbers stopped responding, he lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) helpline 1930. FIR No. 34/2026 was registered on July 14 under Sections 318(4), 319(2) and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Cyber Police Station, Central District.22

Scrutiny of the NCRP later revealed at least 10 complaints linked to the same mobile numbers, bank accounts and the name “Bretish Airways,” indicating a wider network of victims.

Modus Operandi

Investigators detailed a multi-stage operation designed to build trust and extract money quickly:

1. Targeting via Instagram Ads: Professionally designed Instagram advertisements and fake websites promised attractive ground-staff and aviation-related positions at Delhi’s IGI Airport under the brand “Bretish Airways” (a deliberate misspelling of British Airways). Police said the group also purchased databases of job-seekers from online employment portals to expand their target list.
2. Follow-up Call: Once applicants submitted their details, tele-callers, mostly young women, contacted them, posing as HR executives of the non-existent airline.
3. Document Harvesting: Victims were asked to share sensitive personal documents (Aadhaar, PAN, educational certificates and CVs) via WhatsApp under the pretext of formal recruitment formalities.
4. Mandatory Course: Candidates were told that an online diploma or training programme from the equally fictitious “Future Wings Learning Institute” was a compulsory prerequisite for the job.
5. Payment Extraction: Fees of ₹7,000–₹10,000 were demanded as “admission/registration charges.” Payments were received into accounts controlled by the accused.
6. Confidence-building Paperwork: After receiving money, the gang issued fabricated admission slips, certificates, NOCs and formal-looking job offer letters to delay detection.
7. Evasion and Rebranding: The operators frequently changed rented offices, discarded SIM cards and mobile phones, and shut down websites. When complaints against Bretish Airways began to surface, they launched new fronts under the names “Shankh Airways” and “Excellence Learning Institute.”23

Investigation and Arrests

Technical analysis of mobile numbers, Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR), broadband connections, website registration data, UPI trails and bank accounts led investigators to a rented office at Gaur City Centre Mall in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The alleged mastermind, Sandeep Kumar (23), a resident of Greater Noida, and his 50-50 partner Akhil Kumar (27), a resident of Moradabad, were arrested on August 18. Subsequent interrogation and further digital tracing led to the arrest of Rakesh Kumar (47) of Greater Noida West, who designed and hosted the fake websites, and three women tele-callers identified as Shweta, Sapna and Sakshi.22

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Prashant Chaudhary confirmed that Sandeep Kumar had earlier worked as a tele-caller for similar fake aviation-job operations and had previously run a fraudulent venture called “Pragati Airways” before partnering with Akhil Kumar.

Recoveries and Next Steps

During searches, police recovered two laptops, eight mobile phones, eight SIM cards and two registers containing detailed lists of job-seekers.

Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the wider network and to ascertain the full scale of the fraud. Delhi Police have advised citizens to verify all job offers received via social media only through official channels and to refrain from making any advance payments for “mandatory” courses or registration fees linked to employment.

The case underscores the growing sophistication of cyber job rackets that exploit the aspirations of young job-seekers in India’s competitive aviation sector.