New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) Delhi Police has arrested three men and apprehended a minor after busting an international cybercrime racket that allegedly befriended unsuspecting, lonely people on social media and cheated them on the pretext of sending expensive gifts and foreign currency parcels, officials said on Thursday.

The four accused included a Nigerian national believed to be the kingpin of the racket, whose address was narrowed down by messaging him from another accused’s phone regarding delivery of bank documents and checking his food delivery app records, police said.

According to police, Culibaly Amara (32), the kingpin, targeted lonely people looking for friends on social media.

After befriending them, he lured the victims on the pretext of sending expensive gifts and foreign currency and then forced them to pay handsome amounts in the name of Customs duty, late fees, etc.

The police action followed a complaint lodged by a 40-year-old woman from Burari, who was allegedly duped of Rs 4.20 lakh using a similar modus operandi, the officials said.

“The woman stated in her complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting (NCRP) portal that in April 2025, she received a message from a person, who introduced himself as Nitin Patel, expressing a desire to befriend her,” a senior police officer said.

After chatting for a few days, he told her that he was sending a parcel containing gifts and 50,000 pounds in cash. She later received messages claiming that the parcel had reached the Delhi airport and that she needed to pay various charges, including Customs duty and late fees, to collect the same.

After transferring money multiple times, the woman on January 20 received another message from a person posing as a police officer, who claimed that her 'friend' had been arrested with foreign currency and demanded more money, which the complainant refused to pay.

She realised she had been cheated of Rs 4.20 lakh in total, the officer said.

During the probe, police carried out technical analysis of call detail records, IP logs, social media data, email IDs and bank transactions linked to nearly 200 mobile numbers and multiple accounts.

The trail led to a bank account opened using a fake address in Haryana. A raid was subsequently conducted in Sagarpur on January 23, during which a 16-year-old boy was apprehended, the officer said.

The boy disclosed that he worked for two men identified as Ansh and Kunal, who supplied bank accounts and SIM cards to a Nigerian national, police said.

Police traced Ansh and Kunal to Najafgarh, from where they were arrested the same day.

During interrogation, the duo revealed that they sold the bank accounts and SIM cards in exchange for money and coordinated through a messaging application, police said.

A trap was laid by messaging the suspected kingpin from an accused’s phone on the pretext of delivery of bank documents.

The location shared led police to Burari, from where Culibaly Amara was captured when he tried to escape, the officer said.

Amara, who had no permanent address, frequently changed his locations, sometimes staying at churches, police said.

His rented accommodation in Burari was identified with the help of food delivery app records and local verification, the officer said.

Police have seized 22 mobile phones, 14 SIM cards, including three from the UK, one debit card and a notebook from the accused’s possession.

Several fake social media profiles, messaging application accounts linked to different countries, and multiple matrimonial app accounts were found on the devices, the officer said.

The investigators have found around 10 similar complaints on the NCRP portal linked to similar modus operandi, the officer added. PTI SSJ ARI

International cybercrime racket used social-engineering and fake profiles to extort victims via bogus customs-fee demands. An international cybercrime racket used fake social and matrimonial profiles, social-engineering and impersonation to extort payments for purported Customs duties by directing victims to pay via supplied bank accounts and SIM-enabled channels. Investigators employed call-detail records, IP logs, social media and bank-transaction analysis and food-delivery app data to trace suspects, leading to targeted raids, seizure of devices, foreign SIMs and a debit card, arrests including a foreign national and a minor, and identification of multiple similar complaints on the national cybercrime portal.