Ahmedabad: Gujarat police arrested 2 African Nationals yesterday for allegedly duping a woman of Rs 34 lakh. The accused befriended the woman online and asked her to pay the money to get her gifts and foreign currency from customs.

An official from Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch said, “Nigerian national Gift Olabisi Okafor (29) and her accomplice, Aka Gerard (32) from Ivory Coast, were nabbed in New Delhi on Sunday and brought here yesterday.” Some other gang members are still on the run, he added.

As per the official statement, a 63-year-old woman approached the Cyber Crime Branch on December 23 alleging that some unidentified persons had duped her of Rs 33.92 lakh.

As per the FIR, a person with the Facebook ID ‘Andres Martinez’ had befriended the elderly woman online in September claiming that he was a rich businessman from Scotland and would like to marry her. After her refusal, he won her trust and later asked for financial help.

Over the course of two months, the complainant deposited nearly Rs 20 lakh in different bank accounts under the instruction of the fraudster. In response to her demand for her money back, the accused said he had sent a parcel containing gifts, jewelry, and British pounds.

Later, a woman posing as a Customs official called her to pay the customs tax to get that parcel. The victim again deposited ₹ 13 lakhs in multiple bank accounts.

However, when the accused started demanding more money to convert foreign currency and deposit the same into her account through the Reserve Bank of India’s account, she got suspicious and approached a local bank, the official said.

The woman then approached the cyber crime branch, following which the accused were traced through mobile numbers and bank account details, he said.

The accused had arrived in India in August on business and medical visas, the official added.