A woman was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly duping a 52-year-old doctor of over ₹40 lakh, the police said. Two of her accomplices were arrested on Monday.
The doctor approached the Farsh Bazar police station alleging that he had received a friend request on Facebook by one Sandra Cage and they started chatting from October 2017. She later expressed the desire to visit India in November 2017.
Mumbai airport
Ms. Cage called him on November 20, 2017, saying she was being held by the Immigration Department at Mumbai airport as she was carrying £3.5 lakh, the police said. She asked the doctor to transfer ₹45,000 she needed to pay as penalty to the Immigration Department.
The doctor transferred the amount to her account. She called again saying she needed another ₹70,000 to pay the Income Tax Department, they added. She assured that she would repay the entire amount once she reached Delhi the next day. The doctor transferred ₹70,000 to her account.
Ms. Cage called him on November 21, 2017, saying her mother had fallen sick and that she was returning to the United Kingdom immediately.
She added that someone from the ‘U.K. Embassy’ would return the borrowed money, the police said. Two days later, one of her accomplices, posing as Jacob, called the doctor.
On December 3, 2017, Mr. Jacob came to the victim’s house with a strongbox saying it had £3.5 lakh belonging to Ms. Cage.
‘Cleaning solution’
Mr. Jacob gave the doctor a small bottle containing a “cleaning solution” as the “currency had stamp marks that would have to be cleaned before use”. He took out three notes, cleaned them with the solution and gave them over to the doctor, the police said.
Mr. Jacob then claimed the bottle was broken and that he needed to arrange for another one. He locked that strongbox and left saying he will try to arrange a bottle of the solution from ‘U.K. Embassy’.
He called the doctor the next day asking him to transfer ₹4.5 lakh for the solution. The victim transferred the amount.
Mr. Jacob called again the day after asking for ₹30 lakh for “purchasing the solution”. He told the doctor that ₹4.5 lakh was the “registration amount”. The doctor transferred the amount but Mr. Jacob never called back. The doctor got a locksmith to make a duplicate key for the strongbox but discovered that the currency notes were fake, the police said. He approached the police and registered a case.
Technical surveillance
The police zeroed in on the accused with help of technical surveillance. One of the accused, Oluwole Celestine, was arrested from Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj on January 22.
His associate Kelechi Kenneth was nabbed the same day from their rented accommodation at Safdarjung Enclave, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad, adding that the woman was arrested on Wednesday.
The officer said the police will now focus on identifying the other victims and gang members, and finding the money trail.
