Multi-city, multi-modus fraud gang nabbed

CHENNAI: A gang of five, including three from African countries, were arrested by a special team of Chennai police for allegedly running an online racket and cheating the public of several crores through online frauds ranging from faking a popular hospital’s website to attract those in need of organ donors to claiming to sell chemicals that converts papers into currency.

A public relations manager of a popular city hospital filed a complaint with the city police in May alleging that a fake website similar to that of the hospital was created where advertisements were posted claiming easy facilitation of organ transplants.

A case was registered in cybercrime police station in South Zone, Chennai, and after investigations, police traced the fraudsters to be operating from Bengaluru and a special team was sent there to apprehend the suspects.

The team stayed in Bengaluru for more than a week and after sustained investigations, the police team arrested E Jermia (50), Olivia James (25), and Monika John - hailing from Nigeria and Uganda – and two Indian nationals, Ram Bahadur Riyang (31) and Erom Jamson Singh (21), on Monday night.

Officials said the team found that the accused had a bound notebook that contained a detailed script on how to lure potential preys and how to answer if they raised any queries. Capitalising on the despair of the kin of patients waiting for organ transplant, they made lakhs of money, said the police, adding that they were also involved in other scams.

“They were able to convince some that they have chemicals that can convert paper into currency notes. They were also involved in matrimony scam and sextortion too,” an official said. According to officials, the African nationals are the masterminds, and used the banks accounts and SIM cards of people living in India to evade investigating agencies.

All five of them were brought to the city on Tuesday and were produced before a magistrate who remanded them in judicial custody. Further probe is on