From Instagram Romance to ₹68 Lakh Scam: Four Nigerians Arrested in India for Fraud.

In a major crackdown, Indian authorities have arrested four Nigerian nationals for allegedly running elaborate online fraud schemes targeting Indian citizens.

The latest suspect, 49 year old Uchenwa, was taken into custody on Friday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). Police reportedly seized 19 mobile phones, a laptop, and 18 SIM cards both Indian and international from the other three suspects, Chinedu, Sunday, and Jules.

The investigation kicked off after a man filed a complaint on April 25 last year. He said he met a woman on Instagram who claimed she had arrived in India and needed ₹69,900 as a registration fee to exchange his cheque for Indian currency at the Mumbai airport. After he transferred the money, he realized he’d been tricked.

Police tracked down and arrested the suspects in Noida late Thursday night. They also discovered that Sunday had entered India illegally through Bangladesh in 2022, while Chinedu and Jules arrived on study visas in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

"These men pretended to be women on social media, built trust with people, and then committed fraud," a police officer explained.

In a separate case reported by The Times of India, Uchenwa allegedly created fake profiles using the identities of US and UK citizens to target Indian men and women. Victims were emotionally manipulated with promises of expensive gifts, foreign currency, and luxury items supposedly being sent to India. Later, fake customs or tax officials would demand payments for duties, GST, or clearance fees.

That case began when a Lucknow resident reported losing about ₹68 lakh to the syndicate. After gaining his trust, the fake “woman” said she was coming to India with nearly ₹3 crore. Then, someone pretending to be a customs official claimed she was detained at Delhi airport with too much foreign currency.

The victim first paid ₹61,500 via UPI. Over time, the fraudsters demanded more under different charges, eventually taking nearly ₹40 lakh. A fake remittance officer squeezed out another ₹28 lakh. The victim kept paying until January 2026 before realizing the truth and going to the police.

Uchenwa reportedly told investigators he first came to India in 2010 for the garment business but turned to cyber fraud after losing money.

These arrests add to a growing list of Nigerians abroad being linked to fraud, impersonation, and other crimes.