As per the police, 24-year-old Pooja Shrivastav, a resident of Lucknow in UP, received an e-mail on December 27 last year saying that she had won an online lottery worth 50 lakh pounds (Rs 35 crore approximately). She was instructed to contact a mobile number in Nigeria, mentioned at the end of the e-mail, for availing the amount. “The victim made contact on the given mobile number and the person on the other end confirmed that she had won the lottery. However, Pooja was asked to pay Rs 1.15 lakh as security in the account of Dashesh Jhaveri (37) which she did,” said DCP (Zone 12) Ajit Patil.

A few days later, one Imanuel Idema Isuka alias Brown William (32), a resident of Mulund who is originally from Nigeria, reportedly contacted Pooja and told her that his colleagues would visit her soon with the amount she had won.

On May 23 this year, one King Okai alias Dane alias Danian visited Pooja’s home in Lucknow. He was carrying a briefcase which he claimed had the lottery amount. The bag had a digital lock, which Dane opened and removed a currency-sized bundle of black coloured papers. Dane then reportedly applied a solution on two black coloured papers which then turned into something that resembled 100 dollar notes. Pretending that the solution had dried up, he said he would have to go to Mumbai to buy it. He then took Rs 2.70 lakh from Pooja and left, promising to return.

After a few days, Dane called up Pooja and demanded more money. She told Dane that she would come to Mumbai and hand him the money to which Dane gave her two bank account numbers at two different banks and asked her to deposit Rs 5 lakh in each. “Suspecting foul play, Pooja told her relatives who reside in Goregaon about it, following which a complaint was registered,” said Patil.

Tracing the bank accounts and the numbers from which the calls were made, the Goregaon police arrested Imanuel, Dashesh and their partner Izhar Khan (23). “We have seized a laptop, 7 mobile phones, documents and cash worth Rs 1 lakh. We are conducting enquiries to trace nine other members of the gang,” Patil said.