Amreli: A local court in Amreli has sentenced a Nigerian woman accused of cheating people of millions of rupees under the pretext of sending a “surprise gift” after cultivating friendships on Instagram. The court awarded her a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment along with a fine.

According to case details, in June 2023, the accused contacted the complainant, Piyushbhai Thumar, through Instagram, introducing herself as a foreign friend. She later communicated with him through emails and multiple mobile numbers linked to a fake courier company named ‘Skye Elite Logistics’, claiming that a valuable gift was being sent from London.

Under false pretences such as customs duty, income tax, and currency conversion charges, the complainant was cheated of a total amount of Rs 14.09 lakh.

A highly technical and complex investigation was carried out by the Amreli Cyber Crime Police. By analysing Call Detail Records (CDR), Subscriber Detail Records (SDR), Google login data, and digital footprints, the police traced the location of the accused, revealing international links.

The investigation further found that the accused had obtained a Tata Play broadband connection in Gurugram, Haryana, using a fake passport to execute the fraud. The cyber crime team subsequently arrested the accused from Gurugram and seized six mobile phones, one laptop, and two fake passports.

Further confirmation from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Gandhinagar, along with correspondence with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), established that all documents submitted by the accused were forged.

Based on the evidence, the Amreli court convicted the accused under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, sentencing her to seven years of simple imprisonment and a fine. She was also convicted under Sections 467, 468, 471 of the IPC and Section 66(d) of the Information Technology Act.

The strict sentence was pronounced on the basis of testimonies from 11 witnesses and 142 documentary evidences, supported by NCRB data, presented by the government prosecutor.

Reacting to the verdict, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi said that ensuring the safety of Gujarat’s citizens remains the government’s top priority. He stated that Gujarat Police is fully equipped to tackle cybercrime in the digital era and that the verdict serves as a strong warning to cybercriminals. “No matter how clever the criminal is, they cannot escape the eyes of the police,” he said, adding that arresting the accused from another state reflects the efficiency of the Gujarat Police.

Minister of State for Law Kaushik Vekaria stated that the historic sentence was possible due to a strong investigation and effective legal representation. He said the case sends a clear message that criminals hiding behind fake documents and foreign identities will not be spared.

Both the Deputy Chief Minister and the Minister of State for Law congratulated the entire Amreli Police team and all judicial officers associated with the investigation and prosecution of the case. DeshGujarat