Police in India have arrested a Nigerian man, Oliver Ugwu Okechukwu, 47, for allegedly scamming a woman from Ilkal town, Bagalkot district, Karnataka State, of Rs 5.5 lakh (about N9.5million) after luring her with a false promise of marriage.
According to Bagalkot Superintendent of Police, Siddarth Goel, Okechukwu was apprehended in Mumbai by operatives of the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police following a detailed investigation.
Times of India gathered that Okechukwu, who lived in Shivaji Nagar Bonkode Ganv, Khairane Thane, Mumbai, specialized in duping women through matrimonial websites. He allegedly created fake identities and targeted vulnerable women, especially divorcees seeking to remarry.
In this particular case, he posed as one “Satya Amit,” a supposed London-based professional, and contacted the Indian woman after finding her profile online. Posing as a wealthy man ready to settle down, he gradually gained her trust and promised to marry her.
About a year and a half ago, Okechukwu reportedly called the woman, claiming he had landed in India but ran into trouble with airport customs officers who allegedly seized foreign currency worth Rs 1 crore he brought into the country.
Pretending to be stranded, he pleaded with her to help him recover the seized money, saying he urgently needed Rs 5.5 lakh to resolve the issue.
Trusting him, the woman wired the money via RTGS into a bank account he provided.
However, immediately after receiving the funds, Okechukwu cut off all communication and disappeared. It was at that point that the victim realised she had been defrauded and lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police in Bagalkot.
Speaking on the arrest, SP Goel confirmed that Okechukwu had been operating multiple bank accounts under fake names to run his fraudulent schemes.
He added that further investigations were ongoing to determine whether the Nigerian also scammed other victims across India.
The arrest has once again put a spotlight on the activities of Nigerian syndicates in India who exploit online platforms to swindle unsuspecting people. Indian authorities say they are tightening cybercrime monitoring systems, as such fraud cases involving foreigners have been on the rise.
Okechukwu is currently in custody and will face prosecution under India’s cybercrime and fraud laws.