Enuka Arinsi Efena, a 36-year-old married Nigerian man, was arrested in India for defrauding a woman out of N5.4 million on a bogus promise of marriage.
Officers from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) nabbed the alleged internet fraudster in Greater Noida on Monday and brought him to Alappuzha in Kerala.
Efena is said to have met the complainant, who had worked overseas, using the dating app ‘QuackQuack’.
He lied to her, claiming to be a pilot who wanted to marry an Indian woman. He developed a good connection with her and earned her trust later on.
Recently the accused informed her that he had arrived in India and brought lots of gifts for her. Meanwhile, he took nearly Rs 10 lakhs from her saying he needed Indian currency for several purposes. Later, he claimed that his gifts were held up at the airport and requested money to get them back.
When the woman went to her bank to withdraw Rs 11 lakhs from her account, officials were suspicious and inquired about the cause for the withdrawal.
The bank officials, who called the airport, came to know that the woman was being cheated and informed the police.
The cyber team of Alappuzha continued chatting with the accused in the guise of the woman and found that he was in Noida. The police formed an SIT and extended the probe to Nodia, but Efena managed to escape from the spot.
However, his accomplice was apprehended by the cops. The Nigerian phoned his accomplice over the phone, unaware that he had been apprehended by the police, and requested him to come to a nearby ATM counter
This helped the police track Efena. But seeing the police presence near the ATM, he ran off through a six-lane road. The police chased him for almost one kilometer, begore they caught yup with him.
Efena, his Ghanaian wife, and their two children were alleged to be residing in the flat in Noida.
According to the investigation, he has been defrauding Indians for some time and that is how he got the Keralite.
Superintendent G Jayadev of the Alappuzha District Police stated his method was to accept ill-gotten money through Indian bank accounts and instantly transfer it to Nigerian accounts.
