New Delhi, April 9 Two nationals from Africa have been arrested for their alleged involvement in an international cyber fraud scheme that allegedly defrauded victims across multiple states of over Rs 50 lakh, police said on Thursday.
The accused allegedly impersonated women on online platforms to befriend Indian victims and establish emotional relationships. They would later claim to be traveling to India and fabricate stories about being detained at airports or facing immigration issues, seeking money for clearance and other expenses.
Police said the arrests were made following sustained surveillance, technical analysis, and verification of suspicious mule bank accounts linked to multiple complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
According to the police, at least 12 complaints from across states involving defrauded funds exceeding Rs 50 lakh were traced to several bank accounts used by the accused.
"These accounts were opened under different names across various banks and were used to receive fraudulently obtained money from the victims," a senior police officer said.
During the investigation, six mobile phones and two passports were seized from the accused. Police said the devices contained incriminating chats, details of mule bank accounts, and conversations with victims, along with fabricated images related to airports, apparently used to mislead the victims.
Both accused are also suspected to have links with drug trafficking activities in the Delhi-NCR region and are being further investigated, police said, adding that efforts are underway to identify and apprehend other members.