Gurgaon's cybercrime police have apprehended a Nigerian national for his alleged involvement in a social media scam that defrauded a woman of Rs 58,000. The arrest followed a detailed investigation triggered by a complaint filed last month.
The Modus Operandi of the Scam
According to the police, the incident began on the social media platform Snapchat. The victim, a Gurgaon resident, befriended a person who claimed to be living in London. Over time, the accused built a rapport and gained her trust. He then spun an elaborate story, stating his plans to visit India to meet her in person.
To make his story credible, he even shared a photograph of a flight ticket dated November 23. The very next day, he made a frantic call to the woman, claiming that airport officials had detained him for carrying excess cash. He urgently requested financial help to get the amount released, pleading with her to transfer money.
Believing his fabricated narrative, the victim transferred a sum of Rs 58,000 to a bank account specified by the accused. It was only after completing the transaction that she realized she had been cheated and subsequently approached the authorities.
Arrest and Investigation Details
The victim lodged a formal complaint on November 26. Acting on her complaint, the cybercrime police station registered a case and began their probe. Their investigation led them to Musa (40), who was ultimately arrested from Delhi on Thursday.
Police revealed that Musa, a Nigerian national with a permanent address in Lagos, was currently residing in Arun Nagar, Nihal Vihar, Delhi. During interrogation, he disclosed that he had originally entered India on a medical visa in 2019. Although his visa expired that same year, he continued to stay in the country, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for his overstay.
Musa admitted to possessing the ATM card linked to the bank account where the cheated funds were deposited. He claimed the card was provided by another individual, and his role was merely to withdraw the money. For this service, he said he received a five per cent commission of the withdrawn amount.
Legal Proceedings and Ongoing Probe
The Gurgaon police have stated that the accused will be presented before the court. They intend to seek police custody remand to facilitate a more detailed interrogation. A primary objective is to identify other potential members linked to this cyber fraud network.
Further investigation is actively ongoing. The police are now working to determine whether Musa has cheated other individuals using a similar modus operandi. This case highlights the increasing threat of sophisticated social media scams where criminals exploit emotional trust for financial gain.
Authorities have urged the public to exercise extreme caution while interacting with strangers on social media platforms, especially when unsolicited requests for money are involved.
