A woman from a remote village in Arunachal Pradesh duped a businessman from Kashmir by falsely projecting herself as Christiana, a resident of the United Kingdom and Secretary of Abbott Pharmaceuticals, UK.
Lured into a fake business deal offered by the woman, the Kashmiri businessman transferred more than Rs 25 lakh through multiple transactions.
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch Kashmir on Wednesday filed a chargesheet in a Rs 26 lakh international online fraud case, unraveling a sophisticated impersonation racket operated by a woman from Arunachal Pradesh.
Officials said the accused allegedly duped a local businessman using fake social media profiles, forged identity documents, and a bogus international business deal, routing the defrauded money through multiple bank accounts.
The chargesheet was filed before the Court of Judge Small Causes, Srinagar, in connection with FIR No. 17/2020, registered under Sections 419, 420, 468, and 471 of the RPC, and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
The chargesheet has been submitted against the accused Jumbom Riba, daughter of Henjum Riba, a resident of Village Pagi, falling under Police Station Basar, District Lepa Rada (formerly West Siang), Arunachal Pradesh, for her alleged involvement in a sophisticated online cheating and impersonation racket with international dimensions.
Fraudster posed as a UK-based businesswoman
The case originated from a written complaint in which the complainant alleged that he was contacted via social media by a woman identifying herself as Christiana, claiming to be a Secretary with Abbott Pharmaceuticals, United Kingdom.
On the pretext of offering dealership rights for a product named “Agasina Nut,” purportedly sourced from Arunachal Pradesh, the complainant was induced with promises of high profits and an international purchase agreement.
Acting on these assurances, the complainant transferred approximately Rs 26.25 lakh into multiple bank accounts. The fraud was further facilitated through a staged and fake demonstration of currency conversion, leading to substantial financial loss.
During the investigation, the Crime Branch Kashmir established that the accused used forged and non-genuine identity documents, including fake voter ID cards, to open multiple bank accounts in the names of Tabu Juli and Aisha Kholi across various banks.
These accounts were operated by the accused herself and were used for routing, diversion, and withdrawal of funds. Transaction analysis revealed rapid inter-bank transfers and cash withdrawals, with no legitimate source of income to justify the credits.
The investigation conclusively established offences of cheating, impersonation, forgery, and use of forged documents as genuine. Accordingly, the investigation has been concluded as proved, and the chargesheet has been produced in absentia under Section 512 CrPC for judicial determination.
The Economic Offences Wing, Kashmir, has urged people to remain vigilant and not fall prey to online or offline fraudsters.
Comments are closed.