A 75-year-old Mumbai lady was reportedly conned out of Rs 12 lakh by two members of a “Nigerian cyber con gang” under the guise of marriage. One of the gang members allegedly pretended to be a German citizen and defrauded the Dadar lady by proposing marriage.
According to a report by the Times of India, two young people from Manipur, Thingyo Ringphami Pheiray (26) and Solan Thotngamala Angkang (22) who are members of a Nigerian cyber con ring, were apprehended in Assam by Matunga police.
The con gang’s leaders are allegedly being sought for as well.
According to the report, the old lady is alone and seeking for a spouse. She lives in Five Gardens in Dadar.
She allegedly got a WhatsApp message from a foreign cellphone number a few months ago from a guy identifying himself as Chris Paul, a German citizen.
The guy allegedly informed the lady that he is a widower and comes from a very wealthy family.
According to the TOI report, senior inspector Deepak Chavan said that the suspect “claimed he wanted to get married and said he would soon be coming to Mumbai and said he would like to marry her.”
The suspect claimed to have given her costly items when he contacted her from an overseas number once again in November of last year. A lady who identified herself as from the Customs department called after him and instructed the recipient to pay Rs 3.85 lakh as “duty” in order to obtain her package.
The lady paid the sum, but no present was given in return. The suspect, who was really a German widower, agreed to give the elderly woman her money back.
Days later, the report said, the suspect contacted the lady again and claimed he was in India but was being “held by Customs officials” because he was carrying foreign cash.
The ‘German’ forced the lady to transfer Rs 8 lakh to a bank account after telling her that she needed to pay duty before he could depart.
According to the news, the two people who gave their accounts to the gang in exchange for money have been detained.