Three Nigerian nationals have been sentenced to five years in prison each by an Indian court after being found guilty of defrauding an Indian school teacher through an elaborate cyber scam.
According to a report by The Times of India, the convicted individuals—Nelson Chigaogejimu, Francis Emeka, and Udala Chukwudi—were part of a cyberfraud syndicate that scammed the victim out of Rs 6.3 lakh (approximately $7,500 USD) using a fake international parcel delivery scheme.
The verdict was handed down on Saturday by Chief Judicial Magistrate Richa Verma, who also imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 on each convict. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional 15 days in jail.
The case was initiated by Ruchi Singh, a teacher from Aashanagar working with the Basic Education Department, who lodged a complaint on May 30, 2020, at the Kotwali police station. She reported that she had received a WhatsApp message from a man who introduced himself as “Deepak Lee”, claiming to have discovered her contact via a matrimonial website.
The accused claimed to have sent her a parcel from London, sharing a tracking link that initially placed the package at a UK airport before it appeared to arrive in Delhi, India. Singh was then contacted by a woman posing as a customs officer, who claimed the parcel was being held due to unpaid customs fees.
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Over time, Singh was persuaded to transfer a total of Rs 6,31,548 into several Indian bank accounts under the guise of clearing the package. When the parcel never arrived, she reported the incident to the police.
The trio was arrested on October 17, 2020, in Delhi and had been in custody since then. They were charged under multiple sections of Indian law, including cheating, forgery, and violations of the Information Technology Act and the Foreigners Act of 1960.
Confirming the court’s decision, Prosecuting Officer Anil Kumar said the men had forged documents and manipulated digital identities to execute the fraud.
This case adds to a growing list of incidents involving Nigerian nationals arrested in India for crimes ranging from cyber fraud to drug trafficking. Just last week, PUNCH Metro reported the arrest of four more Nigerians—including two women—facing possible jail time and deportation for similar offences.
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