The cyber police on Monday arrested Akuchie Ifeanyi Franklin, a Nigerian citizen, from Bengaluru, for his alleged involvement in an online fraud. He was nabbed on a complaint by a Nallalam resident who had reportedly lost around ₹20 lakh in the fraud operated by the man and his two aides.
According to the police, the complainant had placed an advertisement on an e-commerce portal for selling imported iPads. The accused, who expressed interest in purchasing the products, forged the domain of Wells Fargo, an American bank, and convinced the complainant that he could complete the transaction provided that the complainant made a temporary payment of ₹20 lakh to his account.
The accused had also forged a WhatsApp account and sent messages in the names of Reserve Bank of India officials to mislead the seller. Later, he claimed that he would return the amount to the seller once the formalities were over.
It was in March 2022 that the complaint was registered at the cyber police station here. The police had earlier arrested two of Franklin’s Nigerian partners — Emmanuel James Legbeti and Daniel Oyewale Olayinka.
Police sources said the three accused were nabbed and charged under various sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code after tracing phone calls and social media accounts. The investigation team had also managed to seize a few electronic devices that were used by the gang for operating the fraud.
