34-year-old woman told Rs 9 crore sent to her from abroad was stuck at customs; she paid for its release, lost Rs 1.2 crore to fraud

A 34-year-old woman from West Delhi allegedly lost around Rs 1.2 crore in a cyber fraud after being told that a diplomatic parcel containing £7 lakh, worth more than Rs 9 crore, was waiting for her. What began with a WhatsApp message from a man claiming to be a bank auditing manager continued for nearly a year, with different people allegedly joining the fraud and demanding money under various pretexts.

Fake bank manager claimed parcel was waiting for her

According to the report, the woman was first contacted in March 2025. A man allegedly introduced himself as an auditing manager of a bank and told her that a diplomatic courier containing £7 lakh was lying in storage at a high commission.

The parcel was supposedly intended for the woman. She was told that customs duty and demurrage charges had to be paid before it could be released.


The woman initially tried to refuse the request, but eventually made payments after being persuaded that the parcel and the money inside it were genuine.

More people joined the alleged fraud

The payment demands reportedly continued even after the initial customs charges.

In September 2025, another person using the name Ekong allegedly contacted the woman. He claimed to work with the high commission and offered to facilitate the release of the parcel. More payments were allegedly demanded from her.

Police said the alleged modus operandi resembled other scams in which fraudsters contact victims through WhatsApp or phone calls while pretending to be foreigners, bank employees or representatives of diplomatic organisations.

After gaining the victim's confidence, the fraudsters allegedly claim that a parcel containing a large amount of money has arrived in India but is being held because customs duty, taxes or other charges have not been paid.

Fake British doctor promised a $1 lakh cheque

In October 2025, a person identifying himself as Paul Bauer allegedly contacted the woman. He claimed to be a British citizen and a doctor posted in Yemen on a UN mission.

Bauer allegedly told her that he had spoken to the high commissioner and would take custody of the box. He also allegedly promised to arrange a cheque worth $1 lakh, around Rs 96 lakh.

The alleged scam then shifted from the parcel to banking transactions. Bauer reportedly claimed that he had money in a bank and could transfer it to the woman, but she needed to pay for transaction codes, taxes and an increase in transaction limits.

The promised money still did not arrive.

£16,000 transfer became another payment demand

The alleged fraud continued into 2026. Ekong reportedly told the woman that he had obtained money meant for her from a diplomatic facility and would travel to India to help recover it.

He allegedly demanded 40% of the amount as well as accommodation expenses.

In February 2026, Ekong allegedly claimed that £16,000, around Rs 21 lakh, had been transferred to the woman's account from an international account. When the money did not appear, she was allegedly asked to pay transaction charges.

Another person posing as an auditing officer of an international bank allegedly continued making similar demands until April 15, 2026.

Woman stopped communicating after promised money never arrived

The woman eventually stopped communicating with the alleged fraudsters after the payment demands continued without the promised parcel or money reaching her.

She then informed her parents and sister about the incident and approached the authorities around two months later. Police subsequently registered a case.

Police said the woman's father runs a healthcare business and that she managed his bank accounts. Investigators suspect that members of the alleged racket built her confidence over an extended period before continuing with the payment demands.

The alleged fraud ultimately involved multiple identities and several changing promises. The woman was initially told about a diplomatic parcel containing £7 lakh, later promised a $1 lakh cheque and eventually told that £16,000 had been transferred to her account.

None of the promised money or parcel materialised. Instead, the woman allegedly lost around Rs 1.2 crore while making payments to the people behind the scam.

Inputs from TOI