Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - A 41-year-old Nigerian national, Gabriel Onyeka, has been
arrested in India for allegedly defrauding a businessman of ₹1.25 crore in a
sophisticated online scam.
Onyeka was apprehended from his residence in Kalyan,
Maharashtra on Monday, May 19, 2025 by cybercrime investigators and is believed
to be the mastermind behind an organized cyber racket.
Assistant commissioner of police (cybercrime) Mayursinh
Rajput said Onyeka posed as a senior executive of a reputed pharmaceutical
company and contacted the Vadodara-based civil engineer under the pretense of
placing a bulk order for Plukenetia volubilis — an Ayurvedic liquid used in
nutritional, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products.
"Onyeka initially sent an email offering the victim a
dealership and a large order. He then directed him to purchase the liquid from
a specific supplier, which was, in fact, a fake firm operated by the accused
himself," said Rajput.
The complainant, unaware of the trap, purchased one litre of
the liquid from the fraudulent firm.
Soon after, Onyeka's accomplices met him under the guise of
quality checks and convinced him to invest further.
Enticed by the promise of substantial profits, the
businessman ended up transferring ₹47 lakh for additional orders.
The scammers continued to manipulate him into making further
payments under various pretexts, eventually defrauding him of ₹1.25 crore.
"Once the fraud came to light, we began tracking the
phone number used by the accused, which led us to his location in Mumbai.
"He was using the same number throughout the
operation," Rajput told Times of India.
During the arrest, police seized four mobile phones from
Onyeka.
One of the devices contained a screenshot of a WhatsApp
message he had sent to the victim, further confirming his involvement.
Investigations revealed that Gabriel Onyeka had been living
illegally in India for over a decade.
He first arrived in 2012 on a medical visa for treatment in
West Bengal. However, after his visa expired, he continued to stay in the
country and eventually moved to Mumbai.
In 2020, Mumbai police had already filed a case against him
for overstaying his visa.
Onyeka resides in a 2BHK apartment on the 20th floor of a residential tower in Kalyan.
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