A Nigerian has been arrested from Delhi for allegedly cheating a man in Kolkata by posing as his “friend” on TikTok and duping him out of Rs 19 lakh on the pretext of a paying a customs fee for sending gifts.
Police said the complainant is originally from Nepal and is currently posted in Kolkata. He has been friends with the alleged fraudster through TikTok since June 2022, a police officer said.
“The person had convinced the complainant to shell out money saying he had sent a gift for him but it was stuck in the customs, for which a processing fee was to be paid. The complainant paid more than Rs 19 lakh before reporting the matter to the police,” an officer of the cyber cell of the Kolkata police said.
During the investigation, cops tracked two bank accounts where the money was transferred.
One of the accounts had an email ID attached to it which helped the police track the accused person in Delhi.
Police arrested Poul Uzuchukwu Ekwenze, 30, from Tilak Nagar in Delhi on Thursday.
He has been booked under charges of cheating, forgery, fraud and criminal breach of trust.
The accused would be brought to Kolkata on transit remand.