Delhi Police has arrested a gang of three African nationals, including a woman, for honey-trapping an east Delhi-based doctor through Facebook and duping him of Rs 40 lakh, police said.

Police said the accused, identified as Jacob, James and Sonia, were arrested from their hideouts with the help of surveillance on Sunday.

“The incident happened in September 2017 when Sonia had sent a request to the complainant, identified as Vijay, who is a doctor, from her fake account on Facebook,” a senior police officer said.

Sonia had introduced herself with a fake name of Sandra, and posed as a British national, after he accepted her request on Facebook.

Initially, she started chatting with Vijay on Facebook to know more about India. She told him that she was unmarried and was interested in marrying an Indian man. A week later, she shared her Whatsapp number and started chatting there, the officer said.

“She also shared her pictures and showed an interest in Vijay. After gaining his trust, she lured him, saying she would meet him on her visit to India for a business deal,” the police officer added.

“Two days later she informed Vijay that she had landed in Mumbai but customs officials had seized her 3,50,000 pounds. To free it she needed to deposit customs fee in Indian currency. She later met Vijay and gave him some fake pounds,” he added.

“She told Vijay that she got a call from London and her mother was very ill. She had to fly back to London. She gave an account number and asked Vijay to transfer Rs 40 lakh in it. She also assured him that she knew an officer in the UK Embassy who would give him pounds and gave his number,” he said.

After calling on that number, Vijay spoke to Jacob, who posed as an officer in the UK Embassy, and asked him to give the money following which Vijay transferred Rs 40 lakh to the account.

“When Vijay, a resident of east Delhi’s Farsh Bazaar area, tried to talk to her the next day, she blocked her number and deleted her account from Facebook. The number of the Embassy officer was also found switched off. Vijay sensed he had been duped by a organised gang and approached the police officers in Farsh Bazaar police station,” he added.