New Delhi [India], June 14 (ANI): In a significant breakthrough, the Delhi Police have busted an international cyber fraud racket involving a Nepali citizen and African nationals who allegedly duped people through online gift scams using fake social media identities and bank accounts.

The case came to light after a 48-year-old woman from Burari filed a complaint on the NCRP portal, alleging that she had been cheated out of Rs 1.10 lakh by an individual posing as a UK-based Facebook friend. The imposter, after establishing contact through Facebook and later WhatsApp, convinced her that he had sent expensive birthday gifts, which had allegedly been held by the Customs Department. He then demanded money to get the gifts released.

Believing the narrative, the complainant transferred Rs 1.10 lakh to the bank account provided by the fraudster. When the promised gifts never arrived, she realised she had been duped and lodged a complaint with the Cyber Police Station of the North District.

According to Delhi Police, 'A lady Complainant, a resident of Burari, Delhi, age 48 years, filed a complaint through the NCRP portal at PS Cyber, North District, wherein she alleged that she received a Facebook friend request from an unknown person who impersonated himself as a person from the United Kingdom (UK). Further, she started chatting with him and they became friends. The imposter further started a personal conversation through WhatsApp using an international number and lured the complainant into sending costly gifts on the occasion of her birthday. The impostor told her that he had sent the birthday gifts to her, but the same were seized by the Customs Department. In order to release the gifts, he demanded Rs. 1.10 Lakh. Then the complainant sent the money to the bank account provided by the imposter. When she didn't receive any gift, she felt cheated, and she made a complaint to the NCRP portal.'

Accordingly, a case u/s 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Cyber Police Station, North District, and the investigation was taken up.

During the investigation, bank account details and a call Detail Record of alleged mobile phone numbers were sought, money trailing was conducted, and other technical details were obtained from different sources. A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim in this case was duped professionally and systematically. Technical surveillance and manual intelligence were developed continuously.

Further, the account holder's location was continuously traced at different locations in Sitapuri, Dabri, Uttam Nagar, and Vasant Kunj, Delhi. The constituted team raided the suspected places, and after efforts, the account holder, identified as Aslam, age 22, was apprehended from Sitapuri Dabri, Delhi, on 04.06.25.

During interrogation, accused Aslam disclosed that he opened this account on the direction of a Nepali national and sold this bank account to him for Rs. 5,000/-, who used to provide the same accounts to some African nationals. He received the fraudulent amount in his bank account. Further, at his instance, a Nepali citizen identified as Santosh Rana, age 37 years, was also apprehended from the Vasant Kunj area on the same day. He was interrogated and confessed that he had purchased fake accounts and provided the same to different African nationals for cheating.

Accused Santosh Rana (Nepali Citizen), residing as a tenant in the Uttam Nagar area, Delhi, used to search for local persons in the same vicinity for opening fake accounts in their names and lured them with a good commission on every transaction of money received.

Further, he sold these accounts to different African nationals residing in Mahrauli, Munirka, Kishangarh, and Vasant Kunj in Delhi. The African nationals used to commit the crime and receive money in these fake accounts. These African nationals used to obtain the ATM and other bank details through Porter or some unknown agents to hide their identity. Both the accused persons have been arrested in this case, and 02 mobile phones and their SIM cards have also been recovered.

Further investigation is in progress, and efforts are being made to nab the alleged cheats and to effect the recovery of the cheated amount. (ANI)