Bengaluru, Nov 28 Bengaluru police arrested an African national who used to impersonate as an Indian groom settled abroad on various matrimonial sites and duped two women in the city.
According to the police the arrested is identified as Bright Mudukhas, 25, a Nigerian national. He was based in Vipin Garden extension, Uttam Nagar in New Delhi.
He is wanted in at least 10 such cases alone in Whitefield subdivision police jurisdiction.
He used to operate 38 bank accounts in India while operating 28 international bank accounts to divert the money collected through such illegal gains.
The police has so far recovered four high-end laptops, 10 mobile phones and Rs 8.5 lakh from various bank accounts in India while Rs 6,00,485 in deposits, ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 75,000 in his various mobile wallets.
The police were stunned to hear that the accused is not even matriculate pass but his modus operandi was so meticulous that he had duped another victim Ancy V. V. from Bengaluru and used her account to swindle another woman to the tune of US dollars 27,000.
The accused is part of a five-member African gang mainly consisting of his family members (who are now on the run) that was operating from New Delhi and indulged in similar type of crimes.
A police team led by Cyber Crime, Economic Offences and Narcotics (CEN) police station inspector Guruprasad. G of the Whitefield Sub-Division told that this case was registered with them on October 2 by a victim named Vidushi alleging that her prospective groom had swindled off total Rs 24.5 lakh cash from her account.
According to Guruprasad, Bright using fake matrimonial id SWAINRAJKISHORE (Shadi.com id - SH42684884) he contacted Vidushi some time ago and started chatting over the mobile phone, email through whatsapp and skype call too.
"Through his Whatsapp number +447418341937 he chats with her regularly. He convinces her that he is a civil engineer with a reputed firm who was assigned to go on a project site in Malaysia for a couple of days work from Scotland," the police said.
The police added that 'after his few days stay in Malaysia', he calls up Vidushi again saying that his account in Scotland was freezed for some reasons and he had made purchases for construction materials for the company, he was supposed to make some payments in order to go back to Scotland assuring Vidushi that that he would refund it.
"Worried over her prospective groom in trouble, Vidushi agrees to transfer Rs 24.5 lakh to him, only to realise she had been duped," Guruprasad explained.
After receiving a complaint, when police kept a watch on the account number to which Vidushi had transferred was found to be from Bengaluru. "Initially we thought that the account holder was the main accused, but a detailed probe revealed that she (Ancy V. V) too was a victim like Vidushi. She too had fallen in his trap but she had not lost money yet," he said.
The police added that Bright had given another excuse and he had asked her to send her debit card along with pin number to withdraw money deposited by Vidushi.
"Getting this important input, our team headed to New Delhi and took the help of the post office in New Delhi, where we made Bright come to the post office to collect the Debit card," he said.
The police added that when he came to the post office asking for the debit card, the CEN police team arrested him and produced before the Judge in Tihar Central prisons secured transit warrant and brought him back to Bengaluru on Saturday morning.
His four family members who used to assist him are absconding and he was yet to produce his passport to the Bengaluru police.
The police have registered a case and are investigating.
( With inputs from IANS )
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