Two held for cheating people online

BENGALURU: THE Cyber Crime police attached to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) have arrested two Africans for allegedly cheating gullible public through online marketing platforms. A team of police led by Inspector K N Yashavanth Kumar arrested the accused Peace (26), from Durban in South Africa, and Dobumneme Kingsley (33), from Imo state in Nigeria.

The police have recovered two laptops, three mobile phones, three dongles, 18 SIM cards, a passport and two fake currency notes with face value of `2,000 each from the accused.

According to the cyber crime police, the accused have gained entry into India on business visa and settled at Thirumenahalli, near Yelahanka in the city. The investigation revealed that Peace stayed illegally without a passport while Kingsley stayed in India even after his visa expired.

“The modus operandi of the accused involved purchasing SIM cards in different names by producing fake documents and uploading the pictures of cars on the online marketing platforms like OLX, Quikr. On receiving response, they used to call interested parties over the mobile phones and cheated them when they deposited money in the bank accounts provided by them, saying they had to deposit money before entering into the parking lot of the Airport where they claimed to have parked the cars,” the police said.

Besides, the accused also cheated many on the pretext of getting employment to job aspirants, providing herbal seeds in bulk.

"It was found that they used a fake name 'Priya' to cheat job aspirants, but were caught as their luck ran out,” a police official said, while appealing to the public to beware of such transactions and contact them if they were cheated — or suspected that they were being cheated — in a similar manner.