Foreigners held for cheating women on matrimonial sites

Four foreigners, two of them brothers, were arrested for allegedly duping women of money after creating fake profiles on matrimonial websites and posing as potential grooms, the police said on Tuesday.

Four foreigners, two of them brothers, were arrested for allegedly duping women of money after creating fake profiles on matrimonial websites and posing as potential grooms, the police said on Tuesday.

Police said the arrested men were from Nigeria and were staying illegally in India after their visas expired. Two fake Mali passports, which two of them had procured from their Indian contacts, were seized along with three laptops and 11 mobile phones. The arrested persons Raymond,28, his brother Melody and their accomplices Kareem Ridwan,27, and Osas Clifford,28.

Deputy commissioner of police (cyber crime unit, CyPAD) Anyesh Roy said they created fake profiles by collecting information and pictures of random persons from networking sites. They used to contact women registered on these websites.

“After winning their confidence, the con men used to trick the women into depositing money into their accounts on one pretext or the other. They used to pose as marine officers, doctors, engineers, and businessmen working abroad,” Roy said, adding that Melody is the kingpin of the gang.

Roy said the gang was busted following a case filed on February 27 on the complaint of a 25-year-old woman from Pune.

“We first caught the two brothers from their rented flat in Greater Noida. Their interrogation led to the arrest of the other two,” the DCP said.

Police said the two brothers came to India around four years ago for a garments business. When they could not pursue their business because of a financial crisis, they allegedly began cheating women on matrimonial sites.