CHENNAI: The cybercrime wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested a 33-year-old man from Nigeria, who allegedly cheated a woman of Rs 10.33 lakh in a gift scam. He was arrested in Uttar Pradesh and brought to the city on Saturday.
The man was identified as Thankgod Chukwuemeka Ikedinobi. According to the police, he got in touch with the victim from Ayanavaram through a matrimonial site using a fake Indian name and claimed to be a businessman from Belgium. The man proposed to her and agreed to meet her in the city.
The fraudster told the victim that he was sending high-end gifts. Later, she got a call from a customs official, who told her that the gifts had been seized for nonpayment of duties, and demanded she pay a fine to get them released. She paid a total of Rs 10.33 lakh to various bank accounts as instructed by the officer. After a few days when she did not get the gifts, she realised she was conned. She then lodged a police complaint.
The police traced the bank accounts to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and South Delhi. These accounts were opened using fake names and addresses. However, the mobile number used to contact the woman was found active in Uttar Pradesh. A police team from the city went there and arrested the accused. The police recovered eight mobile phones, one laptop and three debit cards from the man. Further investigation is on.