Bhubaneswar: The Cyber Crime Unit of CID, Crime Branch, Odisha has arrested three accused persons including 2 Nigerians who were involved in investment fraud from New Delhi.
“The arrested Nigerians are being brought in Indigo Flight from Delhi 6E 2023, which is scheduled to arrive at 8:15 PM, the Crime Branch informed on Saturday.
According to Crime Branch, this organised gang of cyber criminals was operating in the guise of investment in saffron business promising high returns. The arrested persons are- Christoper Chizobam alias Chizobam Krist, and Nnamdi Stanley Mbamalu alias German- both Nigerian nationals and another Ms. Arti Gautam from New Delhi.
Accused Arti opened bank accounts in her name and the names of others and shared these accounts with Christoper, who used them to transfer the fraudulently obtained money. Christoper was involved in the collection of mule accounts to facilitate the receipt of the stolen money. Nnamdi withdrew the cash from ATMs and handed it over to another Nigerian.
A person from Bhubaneswar had approached the Cyber Crime Unit, CID CB, that he was contacted through Facebook, then through WhatsApp and email in December 2023 by a fraudster impersonating a former IAS officer from the Odisha Cadre. The person claimed that he was working at The World Bank in Washington, DC.
During social media conversations, the fraudster impersonating an asex-IAS officer sent an email asking the victim to get involved in a project to supply saffron to the World Bank Headquarters. He asked the victim to contact the World Bank procurement department via email to express interest in supplying the saffron for their project.
The fraudster then introduced a supplier, who pretended as a Regional Manager at Organics Merchandise, a marketing agent for saffron farmers in India. They started the so-called supply business with an initial supply of 10 kg of saffron for testing and then went up to 110kg as per the fake purchase order from the World Bank. The victim paid a total of Rs. 2,65,15,940/- (Rupees Two Crores Sixty-Five Lakhs Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty), through multiple transactions to various Indian bank accounts.
When the fraudster demanded more money, the victim realized that he had been cheated and complained to the Cyber Crime Police Station, CID-CB. On his complaint Case No.10/2024 dtd.26.02.2024 U/s 419,420,465,467,468,471,120-B and 34 of the IPC read with Sections 66-C and 66-D of the IT Act 2000 was registered and investigated into.
A team led by Inspector Bibhu Ranjan Sundaray conducted a thorough investigation and successfully apprehended Ms Arati Gautam in New Delhi. The subsequent clues led the team to the Nigerian Nationals Christoper Chizobam and Nnamdi Stanley Mbamalu. Their involvement in other offences is being verified.
During the investigation, the following articles were seized from the accused persons:
- Mobile Handset-6
- Laptop-2
- Simcards-10
- Dongle-1
- Bank Account Passbook-10
- Debit Card-2
- Aadhar Card-1
From the verification in the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) of I4C, Ministry of Home Affairs, it has come to be known that this gang of cybercriminals have been involved in a series of cyber frauds across the country. Their account numbers have been involved in around 94 cases covering 10 states across the nation. Further verification is going on in different portals to ascertain their involvement in other cases too.
The Crime Branch team was wholeheartedly supported by DCP, South West and DCP, Dwarka of Delhi Police. With the active participation of Special Teams of Delhi Police, joint raids were conducted at various places in Delhi to apprehend these hardened criminals.
The Cyber Crime Unit of CID, Crime Branch requests the citizens:
- To exercise caution while connecting with friends/acquaintances on social media after a long time or when they contact from a new profile.
- Be careful of cybercriminals as they may pose as friends/acquaintances and try to commit fraud.
- Always verify the person’s identity through alternative means like a direct phone call obtained from reliable mutual friends/ relatives.
- Additionally, before investing your hard-earned money, ensure the legitimacy of the business by checking relevant official websites and confirming the identity of anyone claiming to be associated with the business and offering high returns.
Crime Branch also appeals to citizens that if they encounter any suspicious online activities or become victims of any kind of cyber fraud or crime, they should immediately report such incidents promptly by dialling Toll Free1930 Cyber Crime Help Line No. or log on towww.cybercrime.gov.inand register their complaint without delay.
Citizens can report suspected fraud numbers in the following:
- Cybercrime Reporting Portal of I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Co-ordination Centre), Ministry of Home Affairs by clicking the link https://cybercrime.gov.in/Webform/cyber_suspect.aspx
or
- CHAKSHU portal of the Department of Telecommunications by clicking the link https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/
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