The trio conned many, including a woman in Hyderabad, into believing that they had won huge lotteries, and paying for clearances for the money to be transferred.
One of the three Nigerian online fraudsters arrested in New Delhi by the Cyber Crimes Police of Cyberabad for conning several people into believing they had won lotteries, is a former police officer of Nigeria.
In early June, a lady from Malkajgiri received an SMS alert which stated that her mobile number had won Rs 3.6 crores in a Samsung lottery, and asked her to provide her address and bank details to receive the money.
She was (understandably) elated at the news, and sent the details sought by the sender of the SMS, over email. The very next day, she got a mail from a James Morgan, who claimed to be a director of Samsung, confirming her "winning" of the "lottery". He told her that the RBI officials of India would contact her for a smooth transfer of the lottery amount into her bank account.
Later, she received an email from www.rbinedelhi@linuxmail.org confirming the lottery win, and asking her to deposit money into different bank accounts for income tax and customs clearances, an anti-terrorist certificate and so on. Accordingly, she deposited a total of Rs 15,50,800 expecting the lottery money.
When the fraudsters kept on asking her to deposit money continuously, she got suspicious, and approached the Cyber Crimes Police Station of Cyberabad.
Upon receipt of the complaint, ACP S Jayaram of the Cyber Crimes division registered a case under the relevant sections and entrusted the investigation to Inspector Mohammed Riyazuddin.
The investigators identified that a gang of Nigerian fraudsters were operating from Mahaveer Nagar in New Delhi. A special team then went to New Delhi and nabbed three Nigerians - Odidi Onoriode Walsh, 31, Nkemachor Anthony, 33, and Wzenwaobasi Gospel Ikenna, 28 - and seized five laptops, 10 mobile phones, eight Internet data cards, 53 active SIM Cards and cash of Rs 1,50,000 from their possession.
The accused were brought to Hyderabad on a transit warrant.
From the analysis of the laptops and the mobiles, it came to light that they had reached 99,584 persons through SMSs and emails by informing them that their mobile numbers had won lotteries, and some of the recipients fell into their trap and got cheated.
The accused apparently landed in India on a business visa in 2013 valid for only two months. Later, they created fake Indian multiple entry visas and pasted them onto their passports, and continued to stay in India illegally.
The accused were produced before the XVI ACM at Miyapur and remanded to judicial custody. Victims may contact the IO over 9490617437.