Nigerian Fraudster Arrested In India For Running National Racket Through WhatsApp

India police have arrested a Nigerian national (34) from south Delhi’s Tigri neighbourhood on charges of running an online racket that duped unsuspecting people across the country by luring them with hefty cash rewards.

John Effe, alias Simon, was arrested by officers of the cybercrime branch of Kolkata Police’s detective department on July 15 and brought to the city on transit remand.

On Friday, he was sent to police custody till July 28 by the chief metropolitan magistrate at Bankshall Court, Kolkata, HindustanTimes reports.

“It is a huge racket, and the victims are spread across India. It will take time to find out the details,” said Murlidhar Sharma, joint commissioner of police (crime), Kolkata Police.

Effe was running the racket, which used to send fraudulent WhatsApp messages to unsuspecting people, saying their phone numbers had been selected for a reward of Rs 2.75 crore each, said Sharma.

Recipients of the messages were asked to share their names, addresses and other details through an email address. The information was subsequently used to cheat them.

Effe has been charged under Sections 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resources) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, and Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating).

Others included 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 511 (offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonments) the Indian Penal Code (IPC).