Indian authorities detain Nigerian national in connection with online scam operation

A Nigerian national, identified as Kenneth, has been taken into custody by Indian law enforcement in the Panchkula area of Bahadurgarh, due to his alleged role in a cybercrime scheme.

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Kenneth, along with his accomplice Tapvia from Zimbabwe, is accused of deceiving a retired government official out of ₹13.10 lakh, approximately equivalent to N250m, by promising unusually high returns on an investment.

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The arrest of the suspects was made possible by an investigation launched by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Panchkula, which led to their capture.

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According to reports, Kenneth and Tapvia were presented before a court, which allowed investigators a five-day period to question them, resulting in the recovery of 11 mobile phones and seven passports from the duo.

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The suspects were subsequently remanded into judicial custody, marking a significant development in the case that initially stemmed from a complaint filed on February 20, 2026.

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The complaint was lodged by a 63-year-old retired central government officer, who claimed to have been defrauded of ₹13.10 lakh, after initially meeting a woman on Facebook in December 2025.

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This woman, allegedly based in the United Kingdom, shifted their conversations to WhatsApp, where she built trust with the victim through frequent calls and messages, before introducing him to another individual purported to be her relative.

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The retiree was then convinced to invest in a pharmaceutical business, with promises of threefold returns on his investment, leading him to transfer ₹13.10 lakh to various bank accounts between December 2025 and February 2026.

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However, the victim neither received any products nor saw any returns on his investment, prompting him to lodge a complaint through India's National Cyber Helpline, which led to the registration of a case and the ensuing investigation.

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The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime and Traffic, Amarinder Singh, has confirmed the developments in the case, noting that investigations are still underway to identify other individuals who may be linked to the alleged fraud.