Srinagar,27 July: Cyber Police has arrested two Nigerian fraudsters who duped a Baramulla man of Rs 36.35 lakh.
Both were arrested during a raid in New Delhi.
The police received a written application from a resident of Baramulla, alleging that while surfing Facebook, he came in contact with an unknown fake user T.Jessica, who posed as the purchase manager of a well-known pharmaceutical company Abbott.
The woman wooed the complainant through Facebook messages that she has been promoted as Secretary in the said company and eventually asked the complainant to start a business (Kandu Nuts / Palm Seeds / Sea Nuts). The complainant was induced by making offers, orders and promising, high returns.
The Facebook user forwarded the contact details of the seller Mrs Jyothi T Kandu to the complainant. Business negotiations started between the complainant and the fraudster regarding selling/purchase of Kandu Nuts.
The complainant was assured by the fraudster that nuts are highly valued in the pharmaceutical industry due to their medicinal benefits and without knowing their plot he transferred ₹ 36.35 lakh to different bank accounts to buy 50 packets of Kandu Nuts.
On receipt of the consignment, the complainant received a fake call from the Mumbai Custom Office instructing him to deposit more money.
Further , this created doubt in the of the complainant after which he tried contacting the person to verify the facts. However, there was no response from them. Thereafter the complainant then approached Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone Srinagar and lodged a complaint.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Cyber Police Station Srinagar under relevant sections of the law, and an investigation was set in motion.
During the investigation, it was found that the fraud was committed under a highly technically constructed setup, and accordingly, the digital footprints of the accused involved in the crime were tracked by analyzing the bank accounts. In addition, suspicious phone numbers were also analyzed by employing CCTV footage and high technical investigative skills.
Subsequently, two Nigerians were found to be involved in the crimes. He was tracked at Vashisht Park Sagarpur New Delhi. Accordingly, on the instructions of ADGP Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar, a special team of Cyber Police Station Srinagar left for New Delhi. After hard work and with the help of Delhi Police, the team was able to nab these two Nigerian nationals.
They have been identified as Isioma Steven and Collins, residents of Delta Egbor Nigeria.
The rented house was thoroughly searched. During searches, 14 cell phones of different makes and models, including one laptop, 14 SIM cards, one Wi-Fi router, one Wi-Fi dongle, six debit/credit cards and 45 packs of Kondu Nuts/Palm Nuts The material was recovered. recovered from their possession.
The investigation of the instant case is going on in full swing. More seizures and arrests are expected.
“General public is once again advised to be cautious and not fall prey to fraudsters/scams offering various benefits/deals. To report any such cyber fraud call to Cyber Police Srinagar, please feel free to contact on 9596770555 or dial National Cyber Reporting Toll-free number 1930,” the police said.
