New Delhi [India], June 14 (ANI): In a major crackdown, Delhi Police have dismantled an international cyber fraud racket that involved a Nepali national and several African nationals operating online gift scams through fake social media profiles and bank accounts.
The investigation was launched after a 48-year-old woman from Burari filed a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), alleging she was cheated out of ₹1.10 lakh by an individual who posed as a Facebook friend from the UK. The scammer established contact via Facebook and continued the conversation on WhatsApp, eventually convincing the victim that he had sent expensive birthday gifts which were allegedly held up by Customs. The woman was persuaded to transfer ₹1.10 lakh to a bank account to release the gifts, which never arrived.
“A lady complainant, a resident of Burari, Delhi, aged 48 years, alleged that she was contacted by an unknown person on Facebook who introduced himself as a UK national. Their chats moved to WhatsApp, where he claimed to have sent birthday gifts that were stuck with Customs. To release them, he demanded ₹1.10 lakh, which she transferred to a provided account. When no gift arrived, she realized it was a fraud,” Delhi Police stated.
A case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at the Cyber Police Station in the North District. Investigators pursued bank account details, call data records, and conducted extensive money trail analysis and technical surveillance.
The investigation revealed that the fraud was carried out in a highly systematic and professional manner. Through continuous technical tracking and manual intelligence gathering, police traced the bank account holder to Sitapuri, Dabri, Uttam Nagar, and Vasant Kunj in Delhi.
The first suspect, 22-year-old Aslam, was apprehended from Sitapuri, Dabri, on June 4. During interrogation, he revealed he had opened a bank account under the direction of a Nepali citizen and sold it for ₹5,000. That account was then used to receive the fraudulent funds.
At Aslam’s instance, police arrested 37-year-old Santosh Rana, a Nepali national, from the Vasant Kunj area. Rana confessed to buying fake bank accounts and supplying them to African nationals residing in Mehrauli, Munirka, Kishangarh, and Vasant Kunj. These foreign nationals allegedly used the fake accounts to perpetrate the scams while concealing their identities through intermediaries or agents.
According to police, Rana, who lived as a tenant in Uttam Nagar, targeted locals to open bank accounts in their names by offering commissions for each transaction. He then sold these accounts to African nationals who executed the cyber crimes.
Two mobile phones and SIM cards used in the fraud have been recovered from the accused. Both suspects are currently in custody, and further investigation is underway to apprehend the other members of the gang and recover the defrauded money. (ANI)
About The Author
