4 Nigerians Arrested in India Over Multi-Million Naira Romance Scam
Victims were reportedly emotionally manipulated through online relationships and later defrauded with promises of expensive gifts, luxury items, and foreign currency allegedly being sent to India.
The fraud syndicate is said to have escalated the scam by introducing individuals posing as customs, tax, and remittance officials. These impostors allegedly demanded payments for customs duties, Goods and Services Tax (GST), income tax, and other clearance fees before the supposed items could be released.
The case came to light after a resident of Daliganj in Lucknow reported losing about Rs 68 lakh to the syndicate. The victim told investigators that he received a Facebook friend request in August 2025 from a woman identified as “Doris Williams” from England.
After building trust, the woman allegedly claimed she planned to visit India with nearly Rs 3 crore in cash. The victim later began receiving calls from individuals posing as customs officers, who claimed she had been detained at Delhi airport for carrying large sums of foreign currency.
He was first asked to pay Rs 61,500 as customs clearance fees via a UPI account allegedly linked to the suspects. Investigators said the fraudsters continued to demand additional payments under different categories, leading the victim to transfer nearly Rs 40 lakh into multiple bank accounts.
Another suspect, allegedly posing as a remittance officer, reportedly convinced him to send an additional Rs 28 lakh. The victim continued making payments until January 2026 before realizing he had been defrauded and reporting the matter to authorities.
The Special Task Force (STF) cybercrime unit, acting under the supervision of ASP Vishal Vikram Singh, later launched a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of one suspect in Delhi through technical surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Investigators said the suspect admitted during interrogation that he travelled to India in 2010 for garment business activities but later turned to cybercrime after suffering financial losses.
Authorities say the arrests add to a growing number of cases involving Nigerians abroad allegedly linked to fraud, impersonation, robbery, and drug trafficking.
