Rajkot: A cybercrime syndicate operated by foreign nationals was dismantled by the Rajkot Rural Cybercrime police following a high-stakes investigation that culminated in Greater Noida.The suspects—identified as Josephine Yaa Ansah (alias Angel) of Ghana (28), Mgengeli Imani Denis of Tanzania (22), and Philip Batista Joseph Valentine of South Sudan (23)—were brought to Jasdan on a transfer warrant.. The visas of all three accused expired and it’s believed that in order to delay the deportation, they indulged in criminal activity.The Anatomy of the TrapThe scam began in May 2026 when the victim accepted a Facebook friend request from an account operating under the name “Mary M Samuel.” The profile owner, claiming to be the CEO of an overseas real estate firm, quickly migrated communications to WhatsApp, establishing daily contact and earning the farmer’s trust. Framing herself as a grieving widow seeking a fresh start, she expressed a desire to marry him.Exploiting this emotional connection, the fraudster announced she was sending an expensive surprise parcel to mark her daughter’s birthday. Under the guise of shipping logistics, she collected the victim’s residential address and govt identity documentation.Shortly thereafter, an accomplice posing as a Delhi Airport customs official contacted the farmer, demanding mandatory fees to clear an incoming international package. The network claimed the shipment contained €30,000 in cash, a gold chain, a laptop, a wristwatch, and an iPhone.Over subsequent transactions, the victim was persuaded to transfer Rs 6.31 lakh across multiple stages under various pretexts, including customs duty, currency conversion charges, and clearance fees.Discovery and Digital TrailRealisation struck when the parcel failed to materialise and demands for additional capital persisted. After verifying that the purported Delhi courier firm was non-existent, the farmer lodged a cyber fraud complaint on the national portal on June 2, 2026.Rajkot Range Cyber Crime Police subsequently registered a case under Sections 318(4), 61(2), 319(2), and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alongside the Information Technology Act.“Our cyber team executed an extensive technical analysis encompassing social media profiles, mobile numbers, WhatsApp logs, bank transactions, and IP routing data,” stated Rajkot Superintendent of Police Vijay Singh Gurjar. “The digital footprint pinpointed the suspects’ location to Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, leading to their immediate apprehension,” he added.Modus Operandi and Overstay TacticsSeized during the arrest were three mobile phones, three passports, active sim cards, and supplementary digital paraphernalia. Preliminary inquiries revealed that two suspects originally entered the country on student visas, while the third held a short-term visa—all of which had expired prior to the operation.According to police, Josephine Yaa Ansah, who is a woman, allegedly targeted male victims on social media, leveraging claims of widowhood to gain sympathy. The male accomplices managed cash withdrawals, sourced rented bank accounts, and coordinated money movements.Cyber Crime Police Station Inspector Ravi Godham confirmed that law enforcement has frozen 15 bank accounts associated with the syndicate, successfully blocking approximately Rs 78,000 to date. Authorities are currently tracing the middlemen who supplied the rented accounts and working to identify the woman who impersonated the customs officer.
