Nigerian held for duping Odisha man of Rs 30 lakh through honeytrap

PTI, Aug 12, 2022, 12:31 PM IST

The cyber wing of the Balasore district police in Odisha has arrested a Nigerian in New Delhi for allegedly extorting Rs 30 lakh from a man here through a honeytrap, a senior officer said on Friday.

The accused was residing in the Kishangarh area of the national capital and “involved in duping people through fake social media accounts created by him in the name of foreign women”, Balasore Cyber Police Station’s inspector-in-charge Mina Bindhani said.

A mobile phone, a laptop, and several SIM cards have been seized from the possession of the Nigerian, the officer said. Based on a complaint lodged by the man in January this year that he was duped by a foreigner through a honeytrap, the cyber police station personnel started the investigation, the officer said. “The man alleged that he came in contact with a woman from the UK through social media and then, exchanged messages.

“The lady had sent a huge amount of gifts including gold biscuits, a precious watch, and a cellphone. When the gifts reached Delhi airport, a person, who identified himself as a customs officer, asked him to give a duty to receive the gifts. Accordingly, he paid Rs 30 lakh in installments but did not receive the gifts,” the police officer said quoting the complaint.

The investigation revealed that the Nigerian duped the man of Rs 30 lakh through the fake social media account of a UK woman, the cyber police station IIC said. The police seized the bank account in which the money was deposited by the man, and the accused was brought to Balasore on three-day transit remand, the officer said. He would be produced before the court of SDJM, Balasore.

Further investigation is underway, the officer added.