The officials of North Region Cyber have apprehended five men, including three Nigerian nationals, in a matrimonial-cum-customs fraud to which a city-based woman doctor fell prey. She was duped of Rs 13.6 lakh on the pretext of claiming a gift sent by a man she met on social media. The police said they traced the banking activities and Internet Protocol (IP) address to nab the accused.
The police said the accused, claiming to be a doctor from Italy, had befriended the complainant, an Ayurvedic doctor, on Facebook in May this year. After a few days of chatting, the accused, who had introduced himself as Marco Kelvin Lucas, said he was sending a gift that included 85,000 Euros, a handbag and an exquisite watch.
Even as the doctor was reluctant to accept the gift, Lucas said it had already been sent. A few days later, the complainant received a call from one Ritqla Chakravarty who posed as a Delhi customs official and asked the complainant to wire money in a series of transactions to the tune of Rs 13.59 lakh on the pretext of paying customs duty, remittance, legal fees, insurance fee, conversion fees, among others.
During the probe, the police sent a team to New Delhi and learnt about the accused, Pankaj Singh, 24, who was nabbed with the help of local police. He spilled the beans on the involvement of three Nigerian nationals, Chijioke Desmond Iheka, Kelechi Jonathan Dike and Chidozie Morris, who were also apprehended from Delhi. The police also learnt about the fifth accused, Sarfaraz Sarvar Aalam Ansari, who was nabbed from Bihar. All five were brought to Mumbai for further investigation.
The police have seized 25 mobile phones, one tablet, four laptops, 10 credit cards, 12 cheque books, one passbook and a stamp of Royal International proprietor. All the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for cheating and impersonation.
