Three Nigerian nationals have been arrested in Delhi for allegedly defrauding an Indian woman of over Rs 2.62 lakh in a cybercrime operation.
The suspects, identified as Lezhu John, Gibril Mohammed, and Egboola Ekena, were apprehended by cybercrime police, according to a report by The Times of India.
Though the suspects have not yet been formally charged in court, sources suggest that if convicted, they could face a minimum of three years in prison under the Information Technology Act (IT Act, 2000) and the Indian Penal Code.
Under Section 66D of the IT Act, anyone convicted of cheating through computer resources or communication devices can face up to three years of imprisonment, along with a fine of up to one lakh rupees.
The three individuals are accused of running a cybercrime ring that targeted numerous victims across India.
The latest victim, a woman who reported the fraud to the Cybercrime Police Station, had been deceived by one of the suspects she met on Instagram.
Investigations revealed that the suspects used a series of fake social media profiles, created using photographs of various men and women, to lure and defraud people.
The police also discovered that the suspects used over 500 bank accounts to carry out the scam, leading to more than 900 complaints filed across the country. The suspects allegedly exploited these accounts to conduct fraudulent transactions.
One of the accused reportedly posed as Sohn Yunmin, a chemical engineer from the United States, and told the victim that he would be working in Assam. Over time, the two developed a friendship, and the woman sent him a gift.
In April, Yunmin asked her to transfer Rs 50,000 to help buy machinery for his work in Assam. Soon after, she received a call from another woman, Niharika, who requested Rs 35,500 to release a parcel containing US dollars.
The woman, believing the story, transferred the money, only to be asked for more funds repeatedly, eventually sending Rs 1.69 lakh.
She later realized that she had been scammed.
The police were able to track the suspects through the details of the bank transactions, but it remains unclear when they will be formally charged in court.
