A Nigerian national, known only as Johnson, has been arrested by the Rajnandgaon police in India on suspicion of marriage fraud, according to Etvbharat.
The suspect, believed to be in his forties, allegedly pursued a woman from Chhattisgarh through a false profile on a matrimonial website. He is accused of defrauding her of ₹1,572,000 after promising to marry her.
Police investigations revealed that the suspect had been residing illegally in Delhi after his visa and passport expired. He reportedly enticed the victim by falsely presenting himself as a UK-based businessman intending to relocate his business to India.
According to police accounts, the suspect contacted the victim through an associate, falsely claiming to have been detained at Delhi airport and requiring funds to exchange the UK currency in his possession.
Rahul Dev Sharma, the Additional Superintendent of Police of Rajnandgaon police station, stated that the suspect, with the assistance of an accomplice, extorted and deceived the victim.
Mr Sharma explained that the victim’s subsequent attempts to contact the suspect were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off. This led her to realise she had been defrauded, prompting her to file a fraud complaint with the Dongargarh Police Cyber Cell.
“Following the applicant’s complaint, we initiated an investigation. With the assistance of a cyber cell, we discovered that the accused resides in Delhi. Our team conducted a raid at his Delhi residence and subsequently apprehended him. Accused Johnson is a Nigerian citizen. Our investigations suggest he has defrauded numerous women to date. We are currently endeavouring to gather further information through interrogation,” stated Mr Sharma.
A laptop and four mobile phones have been recovered from the suspect, and his bank account has been frozen.
