Nigerian man caught in India 13 years after Internet fraud

Two Nigerian nationals, Adia Okoh and Eko Chibuzor, were detained by Indian officials in separate investigations for drug trafficking and Internet fraud.

The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Okoh on Wednesday in relation to an ongoing investigation into an email scam that was perpetrated more than 13 years ago.

While trying to escape India, the Nigerian guy was caught at the Mumbai International Airport.

An Indian court proclaimed Okoh, also known as Odia Francis Ehizogie, wanted for allegedly committing major crimes and avoiding justice.

The Nigerian national was detained by the probe agency in a case filed on January 27, 2012, under sections 66A (b) & (c) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 against unknown persons, and sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), read with 511 (attempt to commit an offence punishable by imprisonment), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to India Today, a well-known online newspaper in India.

After a complainant acquired a bogus email on June 17, 2011, claiming that his email address had won £7,50,000 from the Orthodox Church Foundation, the Nigerian man was placed under arrest.

Osin Daniel, another accused individual, was arrested after the complainant claimed that the scammers had asked for his information and tried to trick him and other victims into sending Rs 16,700 to an account with the State Bank of India.

But at the time, Okoh avoided being arrested.

On December 13th, 2015, Okoh and Daniel were charged.

After the Indian investigating agency received a tip, Okoh was taken into custody almost 13 years later.

He was placed on transit remand in Delhi and was scheduled to appear in court at the Rouse Avenue Courts in New Delhi for additional proceedings.

Meanwhile, as part of an ongoing investigation into a cocaine-peddling group, Chibuzor was taken into custody by the Greater Chennai Police in Mumbai.

He was nabbed from Mumbai last Tuesday by the anti-narcotics intelligence team, who also confiscated five grams of cocaine from him. He was placed on transit remand and taken to Chennai.

The Indian online publication The Hindu reports that the Nigerian was arrested together with two other people, A Ramkumar Raju and V Purushottaman.