Nigerian National Arrested in India for Defrauding a Civil Engineer of Rs 1.24 Crore (233 Million Naira)

Gabriel Onyeka, 41

A 41-year-old Nigerian man, Gabriel Oyeka, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding a civil engineer in Vadodara of Rs 1.24 crore by impersonating a pharmaceutical executive and tricking the victim into purchasing a fictitious ayurvedic liquid. The arrest was made by the Vadodara City Cyber Crime Police after tracking the suspect to Kalyan in Maharashtra using a combination of technical surveillance and human intelligence.

The investigation began following a complaint filed by the victim, a civil engineer employed at a private firm, who said he was contacted via email with a lucrative offer to become a dealer for an ayurvedic chemical. Despite the message landing in the spam folder, the victim was drawn in by the promise of a 50-50 profit-sharing business deal.

Oyeka allegedly presented himself as a pharmaceutical company executive and directed the victim to procure the product from a specific agency — later found to be a part of the scam. The victim first ordered 20 litres of the ayurvedic liquid, but when the shipment failed to arrive after payment, the accused convinced him to place a larger order, promising an advance payment for 130 litres if he purchased 50 litres.

Believing the promise, the victim transferred Rs 1.24 crore to the bank account of the agency recommended by Oyeka. However, the promised goods and payment never materialized, prompting the victim to approach the cyber crime police station upon realizing he had been defrauded.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) MM Rajput confirmed that the cyber crime team pursued Oyeka for over 200 kilometers across multiple locations over three days before successfully apprehending him in Kalyan. Police also revealed that Oyeka has prior cases filed against him in Mumbai under the Passport Act and the Foreigners Act.

The accused is now in custody as investigations continue into the full extent of the fraud and whether other individuals may be involved.