Fraud: Three Nigerians bag 15 years jail in India

Court

Three members of a Nigerian cyberfraud syndicate have each been sentenced to five years in an Indian prison after a court found them guilty of defrauding a female teacher through an online scam.

PUNCH Metro gathered on Monday that the convicts, including Nelson Chigaogejimu, Francis Emeka, and Udala Chukwudi, scammed the victim, an Indian school teacher, out of approximately Rs 6.3 lakh.

According to a report by The Times of India, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Richa Verma, handed down the sentence on Saturday.

In addition to the prison term, each convict was fined Rs 75,000, with an extra 15 days of imprisonment if the fine was not paid.

The case was filed by Ruchi Singh, a resident of Aashanagar and a teacher with the Basic Education department.

Prosecuting officer, Anil Kumar, confirmed the court’s verdict, as reported by The Times of India on Monday.

The report stated, “On May 30, 2020, she lodged an FIR, claiming she had received a message on May 12, 2020, from an international number claiming to be from London.” According to the report, “The sender introduced himself as ‘Deepak Lee’ and also provided an email ID.”

“Shortly after, the accused called her and claimed to have found her contact through a matrimonial site. They began chatting over WhatsApp, and he told her that he had sent a parcel,” it added.

The report further noted that a tracking link and number were provided, initially showing the parcel at a UK airport before appearing in Delhi, with a claim that it was being held due to unpaid customs fees.

“A woman later called Singh, posing as a customs officer, and convinced her to transfer Rs 6,31,548 into multiple bank accounts, claiming it was for customs clearance.

“When the parcel never arrived, Singh filed a complaint at the Kotwali police station, following the directive of the Superintendent of Police,” the report stated.