LUCKNOW It began with a Facebook ‘friendship’ with a woman who claimed to be from England and ended with a Lucknow youth allegedly losing ₹68 lakh to a sophisticated cyber fraud network, according to the UP Special Task Force.
The STF has now arrested a 37-year-old Nigerian national allegedly wanted in the case, unravelling the chain of deception that investigators said was built around a fake foreign identity, promises of expensive gifts and repeated demands for money.
Nwogu Obed Osinachi, a native of Imo State in Nigeria, was arrested from a rented accommodation in Delhi’s Burari area on Tuesday, STF officials said. Investigators allege that he was part of a network that created fake social media profiles using photographs of foreign women and targeted Indian users.
For the Lucknow victim, the deception allegedly began when he was contacted through a Facebook profile portraying its user as an England-based woman. The two developed an online acquaintance and, after gaining his confidence, the fraudsters allegedly introduced the next part of their story: expensive gifts, dollars and pounds were supposedly being sent to him from abroad, said additional SP Vishal Vikram Singh.
The trap tightened when the victim was allegedly told that the parcel had been intercepted at an airport.
{{/usCountry}}The trap tightened when the victim was allegedly told that the parcel had been intercepted at an airport.
{{/usCountry}}According to the STF, the fraudsters then changed identities. The people communicating with the victim allegedly began posing as customs, income tax and GST officials, claiming that the gifts and foreign currency could be released only after payment of customs duty, taxes and other charges.
One demand allegedly followed another, eventually costing the Lucknow resident around ₹68 lakh.
When the victim approached police, investigators found that the fraudsters had also tried to lend credibility to their claims by sending him a purported Royal Bank of Scotland certificate. The document was allegedly used to make the victim believe that the promised money and transaction were genuine.
The case was registered at Madiaon police station, following which the STF’s cyber team began working to identify the people behind the online identities.
The investigation, conducted under the supervision of additional SP Vishal Vikram Singh, had already led to the arrest of two other Nigerian nationals — Uchenwa and Obase Prosper — from Delhi on May 15 and July 18, respectively.
The probe eventually led officers to Osinachi. Acting on information from a local informer, the STF traced him to a rented house in Kamal Vihar, Burari, and arrested him.
The search allegedly yielded 11 mobile phones, two passports, four ATM cards, a laptop and 34 screenshots. According to investigators, the screenshots contained photographs and videos of foreign women allegedly used to create fake social media accounts and establish contact with potential victims.
Osinachi was booked at Madiaon police station in Lucknow under Sections 318(4), 338, 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is being conducted by Lucknow police.
During questioning, Osinachi allegedly told investigators that he had arrived in India on a business visa in 2022. His visa expired the same year, but he allegedly continued staying in Delhi without valid documents.
He also allegedly described the gang’s method of operation. Members would create fake profiles of people claiming to be from the US or UK on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. They would then establish relationships with Indian users and gradually build their confidence, said the officer.
Once a victim was convinced of the online identity, the gang allegedly introduced the promise of expensive gifts or foreign currency. The victim would subsequently be told that the parcel had been detained at an airport and that money was needed to clear customs or pay income tax and other charges.
Investigators further alleged that the gang used bank accounts obtained from Indian nationals to collect the money transferred by victims.
The STF suspects that the network may have targeted people in several states. Investigators are examining bank accounts and digital wallets allegedly used by the gang and are attempting to identify other members.
The mobile phones and laptop recovered from Osinachi have also been sent for forensic examination, which investigators hope will reveal additional fake profiles, conversations, financial transactions and possible victims.