Indian authorities have arrested a Nigerian, one Christian Anthony Maduneme, for impersonating customs officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and duping unsuspecting people.
Thirty-two years old Maduneme was arrested alongside an accomplice, one Shelly Achhumi, 44.
Two laptops, seven mobile phones, SIM cards, passbooks, eight ATM cards from the accused and efforts are being made to trace their other accomplices, police said.
They said a probe was launched after receiving a complaint from Vinod Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Customs, IGI Airport, alleging that several phone calls were being received at the customs office on a daily basis, claiming that customs officers are asking for money to clear parcel and courier.
The accused used names and letterheads of various senior officials to cheat the people.
Senior police official (Airport) Rajeev Ranjan said,
“During investigation, we collected all relevant information. On September 6, Shelly Achhumi, who had accounts with HDFC and ICICI banks, was traced and later arrested. She provided her account information to dupe the targets of the money by charging 8 per cent commission from the other accused.
She used to work in an NGO but had no source of income since the coronavirus-triggered lockdown came into force. She started providing her bank account details to only fraudsters to gain a commission, he said.
The officer said the accused would befriend the target before cheating them.
In one such case, the accused contacted the victim through a matrimonial site and got the personnel mobile number, Facebook ID and WhatsApp number of one Subir Bose.
The accused started contacting him over the phone. She used the fake identity of Anita Saha (from Amsterdam) and said she desired to visit India for marriage-cum- tourism purpose.
Upon arrival in India, she told him that she had been intercepted by Customs officials at the IGI Airport for carrying articles and jewellery beyond the permissible limit. The accused then posed as customs officials and directed the victim to pay a customs fee of ₹ 47,900 and other subsequent amounts in Indian bank accounts. Later, the accused demanded more money on different grounds, Mr Kumar said.
The target ended up depositing huge amounts of money in different Indian bank accounts as provided by the gang members. The accused have duped the victim in excess of ₹ 69 lakh so far, he said.
