LUCKNOW: A 27-year-old Nigerian national, who entered India on a medical visa and overstayed illegally after its expiry, has been arrested in Delhi with 5.085 kg of methamphetamine worth over Rs 10 crore.The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) alleged that he was a key member of an international romance scam syndicate that duped Indian victims through fake social media profiles. The accused is educated up to Class 10.The accused, Obase Prosper, son of Christen Obase and a native of Imo State, Nigeria, was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh STF and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Delhi Zonal Unit, at RK Puram on Friday evening. Police said he had been living illegally in Delhi after overstaying a medical visa that expired in 2023.According to the STF, Prosper, who is educated up to high school (Class 10), was wanted in a cyber fraud case registered in Lucknow in connection with an international romance scam.Additional superintendent of police, STF, Vishal Vikram Singh, said the accused was part of a Nigerian syndicate that allegedly created fake profiles on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, impersonating citizens of the United States and the United Kingdom.“The gang befriended Indian men and women online, lured them into romantic relationships, and later claimed to be sending expensive gifts, foreign currency and valuables to India,” Singh said.Victims were then allegedly contacted by gang members posing as Customs or Income Tax officials, who falsely claimed that the parcels had been detained at airports because they contained excessive cash or valuable items. They were persuaded to transfer money towards purported customs duty, income tax, GST and other clearance charges.The STF said the investigation gathered pace after a Daliganj, Lucknow, resident alleged that he was befriended on Facebook by a woman using the fake identity of “Doris William”, purportedly from England. Investigators said the victim was allegedly cheated of nearly Rs 68 lakh through repeated demands for customs duty, GST and other charges. He was also allegedly sent a forged Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) certificate to make the fraud appear genuine.A case was registered at Madiaon Police Station in Lucknow.The STF said another Nigerian national, Uchenwa, was arrested in the same case from Delhi on May 15, 2026, while Prosper had remained absconding.When the STF cyber team reached Delhi to apprehend him, local intelligence suggested that Prosper was also involved in narcotics trafficking. Acting on the input, the STF coordinated with the NCB Delhi Zonal Unit, leading to a joint raid in which officers recovered 5.085 kg of methamphetamine, five mobile phones, and two passports.During interrogation, Prosper allegedly admitted that he came to India on a medical visa in 2023 but continued to stay after its expiry. He allegedly told investigators that fellow Nigerian nationals introduced him to the cyber fraud racket, where fake US and UK social media profiles were used to establish online relationships with Indian victims before extorting money through fabricated customs and tax demands.The accused also allegedly confessed that members of the syndicate simultaneously operated drug trafficking networks in Delhi and claimed that he and co-accused Uchenwa jointly orchestrated the Rs 68 lakh fraud involving the Lucknow complainant.According to the STF, several associates of the syndicate continue to operate from Delhi, allegedly creating fake foreign identities on social media to target Indian victims while also engaging in narcotics trafficking. Investigators are now tracing the gang’s financial transactions, examining bank accounts and digital wallets, and subjecting the seized electronic devices to forensic examination.
