A Nigerian national, Steve Uzochi, has been arrested in India as a key suspect in an elaborate international cybercrime scheme that defrauded a local businessman of Rs 32.7 lakh, approximately N53 million, through a fake pharmaceutical trade deal.
According to a report by The India Times, Uzochi was one of six individuals apprehended by the Indian Police Special Team on Cybercrime from Mumbai and Bengaluru. Police investigations revealed that Uzochi acted as a crucial financial link in the operation, allegedly collecting funds from associates before funnelling them to the main operators based in Nigeria. Authorities also disclosed that he was “working closely with a wanted Indian accused named Akash Vasant Goni and was residing illegally in Mumbai using a fake visa.”
The sophisticated scam began when the victim was approached online by individuals claiming to represent an African pharmaceutical company. The fraudsters posed as buyers of Eupatorium Mercola liquid, a homoeopathic formulation they falsely claimed was used in Africa to treat malaria and dengue. They presented a lucrative opportunity, telling the businessman he could purchase the liquid from a supposed Indian firm, Sharma Enterprises, for $6,500 per litre and resell it to them for $11,000 per litre.
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To build trust, the scammers executed a multi-layered con. “To gain the victim’s confidence, the report said the scammers allegedly sent a small sample through a ‘salesman’ identified as Jaydev and arranged a meeting in Delhi with an African man posing as a laboratory scientist named Moshin Mure, who ‘verified the product’s authenticity,’” the report detailed.
After receiving a large purchase order from the fake African company, the victim transferred Rs 27 lakh as an advance payment. The scheme collapsed when he visited the address of Sharma Enterprises in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, and discovered the company did not exist. This case adds to a growing list of incidents involving Nigerians detained in India for cybercrime, visa violations, and drug-related offences, highlighting the challenges of cross-border financial fraud.
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