Nigerian who came to India on medical visa in 2013 among six arrested for fake lottery and gift scam

Six men, including two Nigerian nationals, have been arrested in Delhi for allegedly running an online scam involving fake lottery wins and gift parcels. The accused posed as foreign women online, lured victims by promising gifts, and then extorted money through fake calls from people pretending to be airport officials, a TOI report stated.

Scam involved posing as foreign women and fake airport calls

Police said the fraudsters contacted people on social media, pretending to be foreign nationals who had sent expensive gifts. Victims were then called by individuals posing as airport officials, claiming that parcels had been held up and demanding money for customs clearance. In another method, the accused informed people they had won lotteries and asked them to pay a fee to claim the winnings. To appear genuine, they used UK-based phone numbers and fake identities.

Six accused nabbed from multiple locations across Delhi

The accused have been identified as Shedrack Onainor (29), Vikas (25), Shahid Raza (45), Shahrukh Khan (23), Rakesh (22), and Sunday John (40). Raza was first arrested from West Delhi, and information provided by him led police to Khanpur in South Delhi, where Onainor was apprehended. Later, other members of the racket, including another Nigerian national, John, were also arrested. Police said Raza is the father-in-law of Shahrukh Khan.

Nigerians stayed in India illegally to operate scam

Onainor came to India in 2013 on a medical visa, which expired in 2018. He remained in the country illegally and, along with other Nigerians, executed the scam targeting Indian citizens. Police said he collected money with the help of Raza and Khan, who provided bank accounts and ATM cards for handling the transactions.

"Raza, uneducated and previously employed in Saudi Arabia, joined the racket around 7–8 years ago for a 15% commission. With his son-in-law Shahrukh, he collected ATM cards and withdrew cash for Nigerian handlers. Khan joined 6–7 years ago. He used UPI IDs to transfer defrauded funds," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vikram Singh said.

Fake accounts created using forged Aadhaar and SIM cards

According to police, Vikas opened several bank accounts using fake addresses in Delhi and handed over ATM cards and SIM cards to his brother Rakesh, who forwarded them to Raza and Khan. Vikas received 3% of every transaction. Rakesh, who helped forge Aadhaar details, was paid a 2% commission for his role.

John arrived on a business visa in 2023, which expired in 2024. He continued to stay in India illegally and collected defrauded funds across Delhi and NCR. Police said the money was later split with other Nigerian conspirators.

18–20 fake accounts created to route fraud money

"Onainor, along with associates, led the fraud by luring victims online. Once victims transferred funds, Shedrack coordinated with Indian handlers for the collection and distribution of cash. Rakesh and his brother Vikas opened 18–20 fake bank accounts in Vikas's name. They altered Aadhaar addresses to Delhi, obtained SIMs, and used forged documents. An associate helped update Aadhaar without verification," police said.