Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 18 June 2025
A staff member of the Health Department residing at Bambooflat, has reportedly been defrauded of approximately ₹18 lakh by unknown fraudsters in a social media scam that began with a Facebook friend request and ended in dozens of digital payments.
As per the First Information Report (FIR) lodged with the Cyber Crime Police Station, South Andaman, the incident began on April 3, 2025, when the complainant received a friend request on Facebook from an unknown individual identifying herself as Gambo Muhammed. After accepting the request, the two began chatting regularly and later moved their conversation to WhatsApp. The person subsequently introduced herself as Amelia Mercy Gambo during their chats.
In subsequent chats, the woman claimed she intended to travel to India and requested ₹22,500 to cover her visa charges. Trusting her, the complainant made the payment via UPI using Google Pay. Later, he received a phone call from an Indian mobile number, where the caller claimed to be an official at Delhi Airport. The caller stated that “Gambo” had arrived in India and was being detained due to excess baggage, for which she was allegedly being asked to pay ₹98,000.
Believing the situation to be genuine, the complainant transferred additional sums of money in response to various demands. Over a span of about two months he made multiple UPI transactions, ultimately adding up to approximately Rs. 18,00,000/-.
Realising that he had been cheated, the victim filed complaints with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, before formally approaching the Cyber Crime Police Station.
The case has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.