The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a 37-year-old Nigerian national from Delhi who was the part of an international cyber-fraud racket which use to target Indian youths through fake social media profiles.
According to the STF, the accused created and his associates used to create fake profiles on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in the names of citizens from the US and UK. The gang allegedly befriended Indian men and women online and lured them with promises of expensive gifts, dollars and pounds.
The victims were then allegedly told that their gifts and foreign currency had been intercepted at the airport. Posing as customs or Income Tax officials, the accused allegedly demanded money in the name of customs duty, income tax, GST and other charges.
The arrested accused was identified as Nwogu Obed Osinachi, who was arrested from Delhi, while two of his associates, Uchenwa and Obase Prosper, had earlier been arrested from Delhi in connection with the case.
The investigation began after a Lucknow-based youth lost around Rs 68 lakh to a fake Facebook profile created in the name of an England-based woman, Doris William.
The victim was allegedly sent a fake RBS certificate purportedly issued by the United Kingdom, following which a case was registered at Madiaon police station in Lucknow.
During the course of investigation, the STF got an input and acting on intelligence inputs, the STF cyber team traced the accused to Kamal Vihar, Burari, Delhi. He was subsequently arrested during a raid.
During interrogation, the accused told investigators that he had come to India on a business visa in 2022, which expired the same year. He remained in Delhi illegally thereafter.
According to the STF, the accused also disclosed that some of his associates were still operating from Delhi and creating fake profiles using the identities of American and British citizens to target Indians.
The gang followed a specific modus operandi in which they used to first do friendship with victims through fake profiles, then promise them expensive gifts, dollars or pounds. The victims were subsequently told that the parcels had been seized at an airport.
The accused posed as customs or Income Tax officials and demanded large sums of money, claiming that the victims had to pay customs duty or tax to release the gifts.
The STF said the gang also used bank accounts rented from Indian citizens to route money obtained through the fraud.
Electronic devices recovered from the accused will also undergo forensic examination.
The accused has been booked at Madiaon police station in Lucknow under relevant sections of BNS and Section 66 of the IT Act. Further legal action is underway.