Authorities in India have arrested four Nigerians over allegations of cyber fraud, impersonation, and related financial crimes carried out through social media platforms.
According to police reports, three of the suspects — identified as Chinedu, Sunday, and Jules — were arrested by Gurugram police for allegedly running online scams in which they impersonated women to deceive victims into sending money. Investigators said the suspects used fake identities on platforms such as Instagram to build trust with targets before defrauding them.
A fourth suspect, 49-year-old Uchenwa, was arrested separately by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in connection with a different cyber fraud operation involving fake foreign identities and elaborate scam schemes.
During the arrests, authorities recovered multiple mobile phones, a laptop, and several SIM cards believed to have been used in coordinating the fraudulent activities.
Police reports indicated that victims were tricked into making payments under false claims, including customs charges, currency exchange fees, and delivery costs for non-existent luxury items or foreign funds. One victim reportedly lost large sums of money after being manipulated over an extended period through repeated demands for payments.
Investigators also revealed that some of the suspects entered India through different means, including study visas and irregular routes, and allegedly continued their activities while residing in the country.
The Uttar Pradesh STF said its cybercrime unit tracked and arrested Uchenwa after intelligence-led surveillance, noting that he had previously relocated to India for business before turning to online fraud due to financial difficulties.
