Gurugram woman duped of Rs 1.8 crore by Nigerian 'friend'

Two Nigerian nationals were arrested for allegedly swindling a woman of Rs 1.80 crore on several pretexts after befriending her through Instagram, police here on Tuesday said. According to police, the victim was a local woman who reported the matter on April 10 at Manesar Police Station. In her complaint, the woman said she was cheated of 1.80 crore by a man who she had met on Instagram last year. The man had introduced himself as a British Airways pilot, she told police.

”The accused talked to me regularly. One day last year he said he was sending a gift parcel for me which contained an iPhone, jewellery, and other items. Later, on December 6, a man called me saying a parcel had arrived in my name and I have to pay Rs 35,000 in tax to get it,” the woman said in her complaint, according to police.

The victim deposited the money in a bank account shared by the man, but was kept being asked for more money by his so called friend, who demanded it in name of different fees such as ‘United national anti terrorist clearance’ or some penalty, police said. By the time she realised it was a fraud, she had paid Rs 1.80 crore to the man, police said.

The victim’s daughter has appealed to police to help them recover the lost money so that the family can repay its bank loans and money borrowed from relatives. After the woman’s complaint, a team of Cyber Crime investigated the matter and arrested two men from Delhi’s Nihal Vihar Phase-2 area on Monday.

The accused were identified as Nigerian nationals Ebuka Felixi and Chukwaka Ewere who were living in the outer Delhi area from where they were arrested.

A check book, 16 bank passbooks, 25 ATM cards, seven mobile phones with as many SIM cards, one laptop, one scooter, and Rs 10,000 cash found in their possession were seized by police.

Both were produced in a city court and were taken on a four-day police remand.

”The two are also the members of the same gang which was busted by police on May 11. We have taken them on police remand and are questioning them,” said Varun Dahiya, ACP, Crime.