New Delhi: Two Nigerian nationals have been arrested for allegedly making fake profiles of wealthy NRIs on matrimonial portals and duping prospective brides of money on the pretext of sending expensive gifts, police said on Tuesday.
The accused have been identified as Chife Monday (27) and Igwemma James (33), they said.
The accused confessed to having cheated more than 700 women in the past four years. The analysis of their mobile phones has revealed that one of the accused purchased a piece of land in Nigeria using the proceeds of crime, the police said.
The two were arrested recently, they said.
A woman lodged a complaint mentioning that she registered herself on a matrimonial website and met one Ahmad Nafees. He started messaging her and they became friends. He introduced himself as a US resident. Later, Nafees informed that he is sending her a gift parcel and shared its picture, a senior police officer said. She also received a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Riya Mehta and told her that she was from the customs department. She cheated Rs 2.40 lakh from the victim on the pretext of customs duty and other taxes for the gift parcel, the officer said.
During investigation, the location of the accused was found in Nilothi Extension, Chander Vihar. A raid was conducted and two African nationals were arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Harendra Kumar Singh said.
The accused persons came to India in 2018 and were staying in different parts of the country despite expiry of their visa. They disclosed that one Nanso and his wife were also involved in the crime as money was received in the bank accounts of Nanso’s associate, who handed him the amount after taking his commission and also commission for a woman who would talk to victims as Indian customs officer, the police said.