India: 7 nationals of Ghana, Nigeria arrested for fraud; Police seize 79 phones, 99 SIMs

The Mohali Cyber Crime Cell of the Punjab Police has busted an international racket of fraudsters by arresting seven nationals of Nigeria and Ghana from a rented accommodation in Noida from where they were allegedly operating a fake call centre, police said on Saturday. 

The accused, all men, were sent to two-day police remand by a Mohali court.

During the raid, police seized 79 smartphones, four laptops (including two Apple MacBooks), 99 SIM cards (Indian and foreign), and documents related to 31 fake bank accounts. The total value of the seized items is estimated to be around `30 lakh. Transactions worth approximately `15 crore were traced through the bank accounts, police said.

Mohali SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said the suspects are aged between 25 and 35 years and are all educated. The accused allegedly used fake social media profiles on social media platforms to befriend Indian and foreign nationals.

SSP Hans said preliminary probe suggest the gang possibly duped over 350 people. “Using advanced cyber tools and covert strategies, our team managed to apprehend the culprits.”

The police said the gang would lure people by promising expensive gifts sent from abroad. Later, they would say that customs have held the parcel and demand money on the pretext of clearance charges or taxes. The scammers would share a bank account number with people and ask to deposit a specified sum.

The operation was led by DSP Rupinderdeep Kaur Sohi who said the house where the gang was operating from was taken on rent by a Nigerian woman whose whereabouts is yet to be traced.

DSP Sohi said the bank accounts used by the gang were opened in private banks and probe is on to determine the names of the accountholders and how the SIM cards were obtained. She also said the scammers also targeted Nigerian citizens, deceiving them with fake job offers in India.