The arrested suspects
 

Two Nigerian men, Alimeke Endurance Chukwuka and Omenonye Sylvester have been arrested by the Rachakonda cyber crime team in Hyderabad, India for allegedly posing as European citizens to defraud people, mostly women, in the guise of sending expensive gift parcels.

The suspects who had arrived in India on student visas, were arrested from their rented house in Tilaknagar, Delhi, by the Cybercrime Police on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

During interrogation, they revealed that they came from Nigeria separately on student visas with the intention of cheating people online.

“The duo created fake profiles online, impersonated themselves as European citizens, made friends, managed to make friends with the victim and complainant Divya through their fake Instagram ID ‘Alex Williams’ and duped her by collecting Rs 3,63,000 from her promising to send her gifts and parcels,” Rachakonda police commissioner D.S. Chauhan said.

Divya approached Cybercrime Police and lodged a complaint on August 15, police said.

Based on the technical evidence collected from the complainant’s mobile and the accused’s server, Rachakonda Cybercrime Police left for Delhi and arrested the accused, Chauhan said.

Technical analysis of the mobile phones seized from the accused, their SIM cards IMEI numbers, police found that both the accused were wanted for their involvement in five similar offences one under KPHB Police Station limits, three under Cyberabad Cybercrime Police Station limits, and another case in under Chaderghat Police Station limits.

Police seized Rs 1.78 lakh, notebooks containing fake IDs created to trap victims by creating accounts on social media, two Wi-Fi routers, and six mobile phones.

Rachakonda Police cautioned netizens stating they should always be cautious and never respond to friend requests from strangers who approach through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and emails and not to believe strangers stating they will send friendship gifts or packages.