Nigerians arrested after Rs 1.24 cr online fraud

Police in Haryana have arrested four people including three Nigerian nationals for duping an elderly man of Rs 1.24 crore in online fraud.

Gurugram: The Cyber Crime Cell of the Gurugram Police arrested three Nigerian nationals and their Indian accomplice for allegedly duping a 60-year-old man of Rs 1.24 crore in an online fraud a few months ago, the police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, Dhirendra Kumar, a resident of Maruti Vihar at Chakkarpur in Gurugram, was contacted on Facebook by a woman named Poonam Makela in June 2020, who posed as an official of the Army Anti Terrorist Department in the USA.

She told the victim that she wants to open a medicine company in India and needs a business partner and they later exchanged phone numbers.

"From June 19 to July 2020, the 'woman' convinced the victim to transfer a total of Rs 1.24 crore to an account under different pretexts, including that she was sending a box of $8.7 million to him and her agent will bring this box and thus, for receiving that box, the accused cheated him," said Commissioner of Gurugram K.K. Rao.

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An FIR in the case was registered on September 12, 2020, under various sections of the IPC including the IT Act at the cybercrime police station and police started the probe into the matter.

"After receiving the lead inputs about the culprits though technical surveillance two of the accused identified as Ranjit Kumar Thakur of Bihar and currently resides in Kishan Ganj in Delhi and Murphy Amavodia of Nigeria who is also living in the same locality, were nabbed on Monday from Delhi," the commissioner said.

"While two of their accomplices Kelenchi and Treasue both are Nigerian nationals currently residing at Tulip Apartment, Mehrauli in Delhi were arrested from Delhi on Wednesday on the information of their gang members," Rao said.

The police have also seized a total of 22 mobile phones, Rs 1.40 lakh, 2 pen drives, 1 bank passbook, 1 chequebook and 1 ATM card from their possession.

"A bank account was opened by Ranjit Kumar Thakur for cheating, in which they fraudulently had transferred the money of the victim," he added.

"The police will take custody of the arrested accused for further questioning. During interrogation, the probe team will ascertain hideouts about their other gang members. Further probe is on," the commissioner said.

IANS report

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