7 African Nationals Arrested in Punjab for Operating International Fraud Racket

7 Foreign Nationals Arrested in Punjab for Operating International Fraud Racket

In a major crackdown, the Cyber Crime Cell of the Mohali Police has dismantled an international fraud operation run by a group of foreign nationals. Seven individuals from Ghana and Nigeria were arrested from a rented residence in Noida, where they were allegedly operating a fake call centre.

The suspects, all men aged between 25 and 35, were remanded in police custody for two days following their arrest. Authorities seized a significant amount of evidence from the premises, including 79 mobile phones, 99 SIM cards (both Indian and international), four laptops—two of which were MacBooks—and documentation linked to 31 suspicious bank accounts. The total worth of the seized items is estimated to be ₹30 lakh.

According to police investigations, financial transactions amounting to over ₹15 crore have been tracked through the accounts connected to the suspects. Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans revealed that the accused are all well-educated and allegedly involved in online scams targeting both Indian and foreign victims.

The gang reportedly created fake social media profiles to build online relationships with individuals. Victims were lured with promises of expensive gifts sent from abroad. Later, the scammers would claim that the packages were held by customs and demand money for clearance and taxes, often sharing bank account details for the payment.

Preliminary findings suggest the group may have defrauded over 350 individuals using this method.

The operation was spearheaded by Deputy Superintendent of Police Rupinderdeep Kaur Sohi, who disclosed that the rented apartment was initially secured by a Nigerian woman whose current whereabouts are unknown. Authorities are actively working to trace her and determine her role in the operation.

Investigators are also looking into how the bank accounts and SIM cards used in the scam were obtained. Interestingly, some of the victims were also citizens of Nigeria who were duped with fake employment offers in India.

The police have assured that further investigations are ongoing and more details will be released as the case unfolds.