Blackmailers created 19L email IDs

The Nigerian nationals arrested by the city crime branch officials from New Delhi - Salestine Baneme and his accomplice Lona Thomas - had created 19 lakh email IDs on which they used to communicate with their targets.

Not only that, they had about 40 accounts in various banks across the country in which they used to lure their victims to deposit money.

The crime branch officials said most of the email IDs were created through automation mail ID generation. "The fraudsters used to abandon a mail ID once they



targeted their victims and start using the other ones. According to our research, the gang has cheated or attempted to cheat about 1,000 victims in Gujarat alone," said a crime branch official. The fraudsters had created such mail IDs that resembled government mail IDs so that the victims easily got convinced and fell into their net. "The gang used various modus operandi like lottery, charity deposits and lucky number gift money allotments to dupe people," the official said.

The officials are gathering details of the 40 bank accounts that the gangsters were using. "The accounts were opened in different names and the account holders used to get commission on the deposits made to their accounts. Both the accused had come to India in 2011 on a business visa and since then used to stay in Delhi," said the official