Two African nationals held for duping Gujarat woman of Rs 34 lakh

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Two African nationals were arrested for allegedly duping an elderly woman from Gujarat's Ahmedabad of Rs 34 lakh by befriending her online using fake identities and asking her to pay money to get gifts and foreign currency released from Customs, police said on Monday.

Nigerian national Gift Olabisi Okafor (29) and her accomplice, Aka Gerard (32) from Ivory Coast, were apprehended in New Delhi on Sunday and brought here on Monday, an official from Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch said.

Some other gang members involved in the crime are yet to be arrested, he said.

According to an official release, a 63-year-old woman approached the Cyber Crime Branch on December 23 alleging that some unidentified persons had duped her of Rs 33.92 lakh.

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As per the FIR, a person with the Facebook ID 'Andres Martinez' had befriended the elderly woman online in September claiming that he was a rich businessman from Scotland and would like to marry her.

When she refused, the person won her trust with frequent chats, and asked her for financial help, claiming that he had been robbed at gunpoint during a foreign tour. He promised to return the money after closing a business deal, the FIR said.

As directed by the fraudster, the complainant deposited nearly Rs 20 lakh over a period of two months in different bank accounts. When she demanded her money back, the accused said he had sent a parcel with gifts, jewellery and cash in British Pound.

To win her trust, a woman, posing as a Mumbai-based customs officer, called the victim and asked her to pay 'Customs Tax' to get the parcel. The accused had even sent photos and videos of a parcel with various articles to convince the victim, it stated.

The victim then deposited more than Rs 13 lakh in various bank accounts in November and December. However, when the accused started demanding more money to convert foreign currency and deposit the same into her account through the Reserve Bank of India's account, she got suspicious and approached a local bank, the official said.

The woman then approached the cyber crime branch, following which the accused were traced through mobile numbers and bank account details, he said.

The accused had arrived in India in August on business and medical visas, the official added.

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