FOUR NIGERIANS ARRESTED IN INDIA OVER ALLEGED FRAUD, IMPERSONATION SCAM

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

No fewer than four Nigerians have been arrested in India over alleged fraud and impersonation-related offences, according to reports from the Times of India cited on Monday.

Three of the suspects, identified as Chinedu, Sunday, and Jules, were arrested by police in Gurugram over alleged social media fraud involving the impersonation of women to defraud victims.

The fourth suspect, a 49-year-old identified as Uchenwa, was arrested separately by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force on Friday in connection with a wider cyber fraud syndicate.

According to police reports, officers recovered 19 mobile phones, a laptop, and 18 SIM cards (both Indian and international) from the first three suspects during the operation in Noida.

Investigations reportedly began after a complainant filed a case on April 25 last year, alleging he was defrauded by a woman he met on Instagram.

Police said the victim was deceived into paying Rs 69,900 after being told the supposed woman had arrived in India and needed money for registration fees to exchange a cheque at Mumbai airport.

“The girl told him that she had arrived in India and she needed Rs 69,900 as registration fees to exchange his cheque for Indian currency at the Mumbai airport,” police were quoted as saying.

The victim reportedly discovered he had been scammed after transferring the funds.

Further investigations revealed that Sunday allegedly entered India illegally through Bangladesh in 2022, while Chinedu and Jules entered on study visas in 2018 and 2017 respectively.

Authorities said the suspects posed as women on social media platforms to gain victims’ trust before defrauding them.

In a separate operation, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force arrested Uchenwa over allegations of running a more complex online scam involving fake identities of foreign nationals.

According to reports, the suspect allegedly created fake profiles using identities of citizens from the United States and the United Kingdom to target victims across India.

Victims were said to have been promised luxury gifts and foreign currency shipments, before being pressured to pay customs duties, taxes, and clearance fees to release the supposed items.

One victim from Daliganj, Lucknow, reportedly lost about Rs 68 lakh after being targeted in the scam.

The victim said he began interacting with a Facebook user identified as “Doris Williams” from England, who later claimed she was sending nearly Rs 3 crore in cash to India.

He was later contacted by individuals posing as customs officials who claimed the shipment had been detained at Delhi airport and demanded repeated payments for clearance.

Investigators said the victim eventually transferred nearly Rs 40 lakh in multiple transactions before realizing he had been defrauded and reporting the matter to police.

The STF cybercrime unit later tracked and arrested Uchenwa in Delhi through surveillance operations.

He reportedly admitted entering India in 2010 for business purposes but later became involved in cyber fraud after suffering financial losses.

Police say investigations are ongoing to uncover other members of the alleged syndicate.