Kaithal Cyber Police have arrested five members of an organised gang, including two Nigerian nationals, for allegedly duping a senior citizen of Rs 8.75 lakh through a Facebook friendship scam. In the scam, the victim was lured by a woman posing as a UK-based foreign national and later pressured to pay fake customs, bank and airport charges.
The accused have been identified as Bir Bahadur Gurung alias Deepak Tamang, a native of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, currently residing in Uttam Nagar, Delhi; Deepa Bishwakarma of Jawahar Park, Devli Road, South Delhi; Rekha Suhag, originally from Darjeeling district in West Bengal and currently residing in Malviya Nagar, Delhi; and two Nigerian nationals — Njuube Chukwudi and Itohan Mercy, both currently residing on Devli Road, Delhi.
Under the supervision of Cyber Crime SHO SI Randeep, a team led by SI Ravindra Kumar arrested Bir Bahadur Gurung and Rekha on June 13 from Delhi, while both Nigerian nationals were arrested from Delhi on June 15 and Deepa Bishwakarma was arrested from Delhi on June 16. Rekha was sent to judicial custody, while the others are on police remand till June 18, said the police spokesperson.
As per the police, the Facebook ID used in the fraud was created by the Nigerian accused, who were allegedly behind the operation of the nexus, while the three other accused arranged bank accounts used to receive the cheated money.
Investigating Officer (IO) SI Ravinder Kumar informed that a senior citizen complainant, a resident of Janakpuri Colony in Kaithal, first received messages on his Facebook Messenger in February 2025 from a profile of a woman identified as “Johnson Danial”, but he ignored it. Later, he was told that the woman was from Manchester in the UK. Gradually, she gained his trust through chats, photographs, images of expensive gifts, flight tickets, and travel pictures.
The complainant alleged that the woman claimed she was visiting India and had no local contacts. On March 5, 2025, the complainant allegedly received a call from a woman posing as a Mumbai airport employee, who said the foreign woman had arrived in India but was being held by customs for carrying a large amount of British currency. The victim was then asked to deposit money under various heads, including customs duty, clearance charges, and other government fees, said ASI Kumar.
As per the police, the gang kept assuring the complainant that the money would be refunded later. He was allegedly made to transfer amounts in multiple instalments, including Rs 29,500, Rs 19,500, Rs 13,000, and Rs 30,000, to different mobile numbers and bank accounts. The accused reportedly sent crying videos and continued demanding money on the pretext of securing the woman’s release.
Police said the accused also obtained the complainant’s bank account details and identity documents, pretended to open a foreign digital bank account in his name, and sent him a link claiming that foreign currency had been credited to it. The complainant was even sent a purported international bank ATM card by post. Later, people posing as bank employees and a bank manager allegedly demanded more money for activating the ATM card, releasing foreign funds, obtaining a VAT code, and completing banking formalities.
ASI Kumar said the victim, convinced that crores worth of foreign currency had been deposited in his account, continued sending money not only from his own accounts but also from the bank accounts of his acquaintance, Jai Prakash, through digital modes. Between March and May 2025, the gang allegedly cheated him of a total of Rs 8.75 lakh. The fraud came to light when no refund or transfer was ever made, following which a case was registered at the cybercrime police station.
Superintendent of Police Manpreet Singh Sudan appealed to the public not to fall for friendship requests from unknown persons on social media or scams involving gifts from abroad, lottery winnings, high investment returns, customs duty or bank fee deposits. He urged the public to immediately report suspicious calls, messages, or online transactions to the national cyber helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
