The cyber-crime police in Chandigarh, India, have arrested a Nigerian national, aged 45, for allegedly deceiving a woman out of ₹2.91 lakh (about $3,500) under the pretext of marriage.
According to a statement released by the police on June 28, 2023, the suspect, identified as Peter Johnson from Lajpat Nagar in New Delhi, was arrested based on a complaint filed by a woman from Sector 39 B.
The accused had made contact with the victim through a matrimonial website.
During the investigation, the police discovered 26 mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, and 27 ATM cards in the possession of the accused.
The complainant, who is a mother of a 12-year-old son and currently pursuing a divorce case, stated that she had registered herself on a matrimonial website.
On January 19, 2023, she received a WhatsApp message from a person introducing himself as Vipan from Texas, claiming to be a doctor. They started chatting frequently after that.
Gradually, the caller convinced her to marry him and requested her passport details, which the victim shared over WhatsApp.
The caller assured her that all the necessary legal documents were prepared, and he would soon visit India to marry her.
"On February 13, 2023, the accused sent her his air ticket and informed her that he would arrive in India.
However, on the same day, she received a call from someone named Shikha, who claimed to be a police officer from the Delhi Airport Authority.
Shikha informed the victim that Vipan had arrived in India but had excess items such as dollars and gold.
Shikha demanded ₹36,000 from the victim to release these items. The victim transferred the money," explained the police.
After two hours, the victim received another call from the same person, asking for ₹2,55,800 to release the excessive gold allegedly brought by Vipan.
Trusting the caller, the victim transferred the money, but both Vipan's and Shikha's mobile numbers were subsequently switched off.
Realizing that she had been swindled, the victim filed a complaint with the cyber police.
A case of cheating and criminal conspiracy was registered on March 6 at the Cyber police station in Sector 17.
Following raids conducted in Lajpat Nagar and Govind Puri, Delhi, the police arrested the accused, Peter, on June 23.
During the investigation, they recovered the mobile phone used in the crime, as well as other mobile phones, SIM cards, and ATM cards in his possession.
Comments
Post a Comment