India Arrests Two Nigerians For Impersonation

Operatives of the police cybercrime unit in Gurgaon, India, have arrested two Nigerians for allegedly impersonating directors of Indian companies on WhatsApp to defraud unsuspecting employees.

The police disclosed that the suspects deceived victims into transferring money into bank accounts controlled by the ring.

In a report published by The Times of India on Wednesday, the cybercrime unit identified the suspects as Ojo Uyiosa and another Nigerian identified simply as James.

The duo was arrested last Saturday after investigators analysed a suspicious phone number linked to the fraud.

According to police findings, Uyiosa first arrived in India in 2014 on a student visa, while James entered the country in 2023 on a tourist visa.

The suspects, working alongside other Nigerian nationals, allegedly posed as company directors and pressured employees to make urgent financial transfers, after which the proceeds were shared among the group.

Investigators disclosed that about 10 lakh, equivalent to over N15m, was transferred into a Bandhan Bank account connected to the scheme.

The account had reportedly been flagged in two separate cybercrime complaints prior to the arrests.

The police, according to the report, said further interrogation and evidence revealed that the suspects were involved in multiple cyber fraud cases using the same method.

A formal case was subsequently filed, and the suspects were arraigned in court on Sunday, where they were remanded in police custody for three days.

The cybercrime unit added that the suspects primarily used WhatsApp to communicate with victims, while accomplices arranged bank accounts to receive the illicit funds.

Two mobile phones and three SIM cards allegedly used in carrying out the fraud were recovered, while efforts are ongoing to trace additional assets, identify other members of the syndicate, and determine the full scope of the operation.

The development comes amid a surge in arrests of Nigerians for cyber-related crimes in countries such as Ghana and South Africa.

Last year alone, hundreds of Nigerians were reportedly arrested abroad for offences ranging from fraud and cybercrime to prostitution, raising concerns among law-abiding Nigerians in the diaspora and Nigerian authorities.