A Nigerian identified as Arthur Okeke has been arrested India for allegedly duping a retired government official of over Rs 35 lakh (equivalent of 15,477,723.52), the police said on Tuesday.
The complainant filed the case in August 2018 alleging that a Facebook user, Grace Dennis, duped him of Rs 35,80,000.
The accused who posed as a woman told him that his mother was suffering from a serious ailment and was admitted to a hospital in India.
She also told him that she was stuck at Mumbai Airport “for declaration of some drafts.”
“The complainant got a phone call from an unknown number and the callers posed himself as a Customs Officer and asked to submit some amount for customs clearance. Being induced by the accused persons, the complainant deposited Rs 35, 80,000/- in nine different bank accounts,” a police release said.
The police had registered the case under section 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“During the course of the investigation, the contact numbers of the accused persons were put on surveillance and account details were obtained. The IP Address of the bank accounts operated by the accused persons was obtained and the IP Addresses were found allotted to the accused Arthur Okeke.
“Okeke was residing in Nilothi locality of the national capital. The police had conducted raids in Jaipur, Ajmer, Agra, Aligarh and many other places but the accused could not be traced out.
“The accused was continuously changing mobile phones and SIM cards in this duration; however the team consistently followed the trails. Accused Arthur Okeke was arrested from Outer Ring Road,” the release said.
Okeke, alias Arthur Akunne, was arrested on Monday.
The police are looking for others accused involved in the crime.
