Three Nigerian nationals have each been sentenced to five years in prison by an Indian court for defrauding a female teacher through an elaborate online scam.
The convicted individuals—Nelson Chigaogejimu, Francis Emeka, and Udala Chukwudi—were found guilty of orchestrating a cyber fraud operation that duped the victim, an Indian school teacher, out of approximately ₹631,548 (Rs 6.3 lakh).
The verdict was delivered on Saturday by Chief Judicial Magistrate Richa Verma, according to The Times of India. In addition to their prison sentences, each of the men was fined ₹75,000, with an additional 15 days of imprisonment in case of non-payment.
The case originated from a complaint filed by Ruchi Singh, a resident of Aashanagar and a teacher in the Basic Education Department.
Singh reported receiving a message in May 2020 from someone claiming to be “Deepak Lee” from London, who had contacted her via an international number and email.
The two began conversing on WhatsApp after the sender said he had found her profile on a matrimonial site.
He claimed to have sent her a parcel, and provided a tracking link showing the package had arrived at an airport in Delhi but was held up due to unpaid customs charges.
Singh was later contacted by a woman impersonating a customs officer, who convinced her to transfer over ₹6.3 lakh across multiple bank accounts for the alleged customs clearance.
When the parcel never arrived, Singh reported the fraud to the Kotwali police station under the guidance of the Superintendent of Police.
Following an investigation, the Nigerian trio was identified as the culprits and arrested in Delhi on October 17, 2020. They have been in custody since then.
Prosecutors charged them under sections related to cheating, forgery, the Information Technology Act, and the Foreigners Act of 1960.
Superintendent of Police Neeraj Jadaun confirmed that the court found the men guilty of using forged documents and false identities to carry out the scam under the guise of an international parcel delivery.
This case is part of a growing trend of fraud-related arrests involving Nigerian nationals in India. Just last week, PUNCH Metro reported that four other Nigerians—Pepe Morepeyi, Gabriel Onyeka, Bamba Fanta, and Abigail Adonis—were arrested in various parts of the country for crimes including cyber fraud and drug trafficking. They may face jail terms and possible deportation.