India arrests Nigerian national in connection with romance fraud scheme

A 37-year-old Nigerian national, Nwogu Osinachi, has been apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in connection with an alleged cyber fraud, wherein perpetrators created fictitious foreign identities, fostered relationships with victims, and subsequently impersonated customs and tax officials to extort money.

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The arrest took place around 1:50 pm on August 11 at a residence in Kamal Vihar, Burari, Delhi, India, where Osinachi was found.

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According to the Times of India, Osinachi, a native of Imo State, was wanted in connection with FIR No. 33/2026 registered at the Madeyganj police station in the Lucknow Commissionerate.

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A Superintendent of Police, Vishal Singh, stated that the case was initiated by a resident of Daliganj, who claimed to have been defrauded of approximately Rs 68 lakh, equivalent to N98.1m.

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Singh noted that the victim was initially contacted on Facebook by an individual using the name Doris William, who purported to be a British citizen, marking the beginning of the alleged fraud with an apparently innocuous friendship.

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The fake profile gradually gained the victim's trust, and the conversation eventually shifted to promises of expensive gifts, dollars, and pounds being sent to India.

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The victim was subsequently informed that a parcel containing the gifts and foreign currency had been intercepted at an airport after customs officials detected the items, prompting the fraudsters to pose as customs and income tax officials.

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The perpetrators allegedly demanded payments for customs duty, income tax, GST, and other charges to clear the consignment, and to make the deception appear genuine, they sent the victim a fake RBS certificate purportedly issued in the United Kingdom.

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Over the course of the fraud, the victim reportedly transferred around Rs 68 lakh, according to Singh.

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The investigation led STF operatives from Lucknow to Delhi, where they uncovered the alleged involvement of Nigerian nationals in the fake-profile racket, resulting in the arrest of two associates, Uchenwa and Obäse Prosper, on May 15 and July 18, respectively.

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Following technical analysis and intelligence gathering, the STF cyber team traced Osinachi to Kamal Vihar, Burari, where he was arrested.

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Operatives recovered 11 mobile phones, a laptop, a passport, four ATM cards, and 34 screenshots from Osinachi, with the screenshots reportedly containing photographs and videos of foreign women used to create fake social media profiles, as well as materials linked to impersonating customs officials.

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Osinachi allegedly told investigators that he entered India on a business visa in 2022 but remained in Delhi after it expired, and that other Nigerians introduced him to the fraud operation.

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He reportedly admitted to carrying out the Rs 68-lakh fraud with Uchenwa and Prosper.