Two Nigerians Arrested in India Over WhatsApp ‘Director’ Scam That Netted ₹10 Lakh

Gurgaon cybercrime police say suspects posed as company executives to pressure staff into urgent transfers; phones and SIM cards seized.

Cybercrime detectives in Gurgaon, India, have arrested two Nigerian nationals over an alleged fraud scheme in which employees were tricked into transferring company funds after receiving messages from impostors posing as directors on WhatsApp.

Police identified the suspects as Ojo Uyiosa and another man known as James. Investigators say the pair convinced victims to move money into bank accounts linked to the syndicate, after creating a sense of urgency while impersonating senior company officials.

According to local reports, the arrests followed the tracing of a suspicious phone number tied to the scam.

How the Alleged Scheme Worked

Authorities allege the suspects, working with other accomplices, contacted staff members while posing as company directors and instructed them to make immediate financial transfers. The funds were then shared among members of the group.

Police said about ₹10 lakh (over ₦15 million) was paid into a Bandhan Bank account associated with the operation. The account had previously appeared in two separate cybercrime complaints.

Investigators believe the same method was used in multiple cases.

Visas, Devices and Ongoing Probe

Uyiosa is said to have arrived in India on a student visa in 2014, while James entered the country in 2023 on a tourist visa.

Two mobile phones and three SIM cards allegedly used to contact victims were recovered during the operation.

A formal case has been filed and the suspects were arraigned in court on Sunday, where they were remanded in police custody for three days to aid further investigation.

The cybercrime unit said efforts are ongoing to identify other members of the network, trace additional bank accounts and determine the full scale of the alleged fraud.