Two people who have been living in the country illegally were arrested in the Town of Perrysburg for their alleged involvement in a phone scam. On Friday, Cattaraugus County Sheriff's deputies were called to investigate an ongoing scam in which the victim was coerced to withdraw a large sum of money from their bank account and deliver it to the scammers, who were claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office was made aware of the scam and when the subjects arrived for an in-person cash delivery to take possession of the money, officers were staged on location and arrested two males, identified as 31-year-old Ketankumar Vaghela and 38-year-old Narendrasinh Chavda. Both were charged with 2nd-degree grand larceny and 2nd-degree scheme to defraud.
The investigation revealed that both parties were living in the country illegally as well as evidence that both have been involved in numerous scams of this nature in the past. Vaghela and Chavda were arraigned in the Town of Perrysburg Court, where they were released under supervision and turned over to federal immigration authorities. The investigation is ongoing.
Photos by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office
