Four foreign nationals have been arrested for allegedly cheating people on matrimonial websites, the police said on Tuesday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Anyesh Roy said the accused, all Nigerians, have been identified as Raymond (28), Melody (21), Kareem Ridwan (27), and Osas Clifford (28).
They were arrested from their accommodation in Greater Noida, the officer said.
Pune woman complains
The police received a complaint from a woman, from Pune, who alleged that she came across a profile of one “Tiwari Pandit” on a matrimonial website and the two started talking to each other.
“After winning her confidence, the man said he would be sending his luggage to her as he was residing abroad. He also said that later, he would collect it from her,” Mr. Roy said.
Charged ₹24,000
Following this, the victim received a call from another woman, claiming to be from the Customs and Excise Department, who asked her to pay ₹24,000 for custom clearance of the luggage.
The victim paid the amount but got suspicious when she was asked for more money. She then approached the police.
During probe, with the help of technical investigation, the police reached the accused’s house in Greater Noida where two brothers — Raymond and Melody — were found along with the two others.
“They were then arrested. Three laptops and 11 mobile phones, which they used to send messages and emails to victims, were recovered from their possession,” Mr. Roy said, adding that two expired visas and two fake passports were also recovered.
During the investigation, the accused persons disclosed that they used the internet and social media for committing the crime.
They used to make fake profiles on matrimonial websites by collecting information and photos from Facebook and Instagram profiles of different persons and then cheated people on the pretext of marriage, the police added.