Cyber Fraud Syndicate Busted in Meerut: Nigerian National Arrested Among ₹100 Crore Scam
Cyber Fraud Syndicate Busted in Meerut: Nigerian National Arrested in ₹100 Crore Scam
Five persons, including a Nigerian national, were arrested by the Meerut police after they uncovered a ₹100 crore fraud scheme that involved 18 states. Before forcing victims to send substantial amounts of money, the gang used phony social media and matrimonial sites to entice them with promises of marriage or wealthy packages from overseas.
How the Scam Work?
After a schoolteacher claimed losing 94.78 lakh to scammers, the investigation got underway. A man claiming to be a foreigner had contacted her on social media and said he had sent her a costly present package. Soon after, scammers acting as customs officers threatened to sue her if she didn’t pay them to release the item. The teacher was so terrified that she sent money in several installments, only to discover later that she had been tricked.
Investigators discovered that this was not a unique incident. The group used mule accounts to launder money and opened more than 100 bank accounts. Before robbing victims of their savings, they gained their trust by pretending to be doctors, NRIs, and business experts on websites like Shaadi.com and Instagram.
The Arrests and Recovery
Chinweoke Enmanuel Kanu, a Nigerian national who formerly operated a travel agency before reportedly turning to cybercrime during the COVID lockdown, is among those detained. Mamta and Sangeeta Bahadur, two of his Indian accomplices, were apprehended in Delhi and Noida. Numerous ATM cards, SIM cards, POS devices, checkbooks, cell phones, and forged documents used to run the scheme were among the many pieces of evidence that police retrieved.
Investigators found that the network was extremely well-organized, with members dispersed over several states and money syphoned off for foreign real estate and luxury expenditures. It is thought that Kanu used the money he received from fraud to purchase cars and real estate in his native country.
Police Action and Wider Concerns
The accounts used by this group were connected to 37 FIRs nationwide, according to Meerut police. In order to track down the larger syndicate, assets have been frozen, and more investigations are being conducted. Officials stressed that these types of scams are increasingly combining psychology and technology, taking advantage of people’s emotional weaknesses by creating false connections.
Cyber experts caution that when internet platforms are abused, they can be exploited as instruments for widespread fraud. Authorities advised people to be on guard, refrain from giving out financial or personal information to strangers, and double-check all claims before transferring any money. Additionally, victims have been encouraged to report cases at cybercrime.gov.in or call the 1930 cybercrime helpline.
About The Author:
Yogesh Naager is a content marketer who specializes in the cybersecurity and B2B space. Besides writing for the News4Hackers blogs, he also writes for brands including Craw Security, Bytecode Security, and NASSCOM.
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