India Police Arrests Two Nigerians For Marriage Scam In Excess of 40000 Pounds

The Delhi Police said on Sunday, March 12, 2023, that two Nigerian nationals had been detained for allegedly defrauding women by proposing marriage and then demanding cash under the guise of obtaining customs clearance for pricey gifts.

The defendants, Alex (30) and Ibeh (45), are accused of approaching women on dating websites and portraying themselves as British marine engineers.

A 24-year-old resident of Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President’s Estate, reported the incident to the authorities in February.

The victim alleged in her complaint that she connected with a man who introduced himself as Aman Arora, a marine engineer based in the UK, on a matrimonial site.

Shortly after, the victim started chatting with “Arora” on WhatsApp. During this time, he shared a London-Mumbai airline ticket.
Later, the victim got a call from a woman posing as a “Mumbai airport official” who told her that “Arora” had been detained for carrying GBP 40,000 pounds, she alleged.

The woman asked the victim to pay Rs 8,500 as registration fee for valuable articles, the police said, adding that the complainant subsequently made several payments amounting to Rs 4 lakh.

On the basis of technical analysis of mobile numbers and IP addresses, it was learnt that a gang of Nigerian nationals was operating from Greater Noida, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Pranav Tayal.

The suspects’ location was identified and a raid conducted on the Greater Noida society from where Alex was apprehended. The mobile phone used to commit the crime was also seized, he said.

“During interrogations, Alex disclosed that he came to India on a medical visa in 2020. He started cheating women by proposing marriage or sending expensive gifts with the help of his associates,” the official said. 

“The gang created fake profiles on social media in the name of persons settled in the UK… They then contacted Indian women on social media. After proposing to them and luring them with expensive gifts, they would ask for money on the pretext of Custom clearance,” 

In this case, the accused created a profile in the name of Aman Arora on a matrimonial site at the direction of his associate. The accused proposed to marry the victim and settle in the US. 

Alex’s associate Ibeh used to manage the bank accounts used to siphon off the money, he added.

Ibeh was arrested in Greater Noida while three ATM cards and Rs 10,500 in cash were also seized from his possession.