The police in India have arrested a Nigerian national, Patrick Ngomere, for allegedly hacking the email account of Family Care Pvt. Limited, a pharmaceutical company, and fraudulently diverting Rs 11.73 lakh (approximately $13,361).
The Delhi Police Cyber Cell apprehended Ngomere, who was reportedly residing in India without a valid visa.
He is suspected to be part of a larger network engaged in cyber fraud across the country.
According to the Indian news platform Millennium Post, a report filed with the country’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal on Friday revealed that Ngomere had confessed to the crime.
Investigations showed that the fraud began on December 10 when the pharmaceutical firm received an email impersonating its vendor, Accent Pharma, requesting payment to a different bank account.
Unaware of the deception, the company transferred Rs 11.76 lakh. The fraud came to light only after verification following the payment, prompting a cybercrime investigation.
Authorities tracked the hacked email to Nigeria and traced the stolen funds to a bank account in Manipur, India. Surveillance footage led to Ngomere’s arrest near an ATM, where his mobile phone was found linked to the fraudulent account.
Officials confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, and a case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Foreigners Act.
Meanwhile, in a separate case in January 2025, two Nigerian nationals were arrested in Kuwait for armed robbery. The suspects allegedly stole 4,600 Kuwaiti Dinars (approximately $14,918) from an exchange office in Mahboula and were apprehended within 24 hours by the Kuwait General Department of Criminal Investigation.
Prompt news