Three Nigerians Arrested in Delhi Over Alleged Cyber Fraud

Delhi police apprehend three Nigerian nationals linked to an alleged cyber fraud operation. Learn about the charges and ongoing investigations into the case.

Indian authorities have arrested three Nigerian nationals in Delhi on allegations of defrauding an Indian woman out of more than ₹2.62 lakh.

The suspects, Lezhu John, Gibril Mohammed, and Egboola Ekena, were arrested by the cybercrime police after an investigation into the case.

A report by The Times of India on Saturday claims that the trio allegedly utilized online platforms to carry out the fraud. Although formal charges have not yet been filed in court, if convicted, they face serious legal consequences.

According to India’s Information Technology Act (IT Act, 2000) and the Indian Penal Code, the accused faces a minimum sentence of three years imprisonment.

As stated on Sunday by the India-based law firm S.S. Rana & Co., Section 66D of the Indian IT Act provides that anyone who cheats by impersonating someone using a communication device or computer resource faces imprisonment for up to three years and may also be fined up to one lakh rupees.

The suspects were purportedly running a cybercrime scheme that resulted in many people throughout India falling victim.

The latest victim, as reported by the India Cybercrime Police, filed a complaint at the Cybercrime Police Station after discovering that she had been defrauded by someone she had interacted with on her Instagram account.

The suspects were reported to have numerous photos of men and women stored on their mobile phones. They allegedly used these images to create fake social media profiles in order to deceive people.

According to ACP M.M. Rajput of Cybercrime in Vadodara, investigations uncovered that the accused utilized more than 500 bank accounts to execute the fraud. Additionally, over 900 complaints related to these bank accounts have been lodged nationwide.

One of the accused reportedly identified himself as Sohn Yunmin, asserting that he was a chemical engineer from the United States.

The suspect reportedly informed the woman that he would soon be working in Assam. As their friendship developed, she ended up sending him a gift.

The report stated in part, “In April of this year, the accused informed the woman that he needed to purchase some machinery and his friend, who was responsible for covering the cost, lacked funds in his bank account. He requested her to transfer Rs 50,000 to him, which she did willingly. A few days later, he told her that he had received a job offer in Assam and would be traveling there soon while informing her about an upcoming parcel delivery arriving from India.”

A few days later, she received a call from a woman named Niharika, who requested Rs 35,500 for the parcel containing US dollars. She transferred the money; however, Niharika continued to demand additional funds citing different reasons. The complainant ultimately sent a total of Rs 1.69 lakh before realizing that she was being deceived.

The police reported that they located the suspects by analyzing bank transaction details. It is still uncertain when the three Nigerians will face charges in court.