Nigerian national held in Delhi for duping over 100 women through app

A 29-year-old Nigerian national was arrested from west Delhi's Tilak Nagar for allegedly duping more than 100 women from across India by posing as a UK-based Korean businessman on a language exchange app, police said on Monday.

Stephane, alias K Cee Dominic, was picked up from his rented accommodation, they said.

Explaining his modus operandi, police said Dominic used an app, which helps users practise languages by chatting with native speakers around the world, to target single women and gain their trust. He would then claim to be stranded at immigration with large-value cheques or documents pending clearance.

His associates would impersonate officials over phone calls to demand money, which victims would transfer digitally, the police said.

Dominic would allegedly introduce himself as Duck Young, a Korean jewellery businessman settled in the UK, and would lure women with false promises of personal relationships and business partnerships, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said.

The matter came to light after a woman, Anjali, filed a complaint on September 24, alleging that she had been conned out of Rs 48,500.

According to the police, she met "Duck Young" through the app, who later claimed he was detained at the Mumbai airport for travelling without a medical facility card. The complainant then received calls from two Indian numbers, where the callers impersonated immigration officials and demanded money for his clearance.

"After transferring money via UPI, she was asked to pay an additional Rs 2 lakh. When she refused, the accused cut off all communication," the DCP said.

A case in the matter was registered at Cyber Police Station, Shahdara, and a team was formed to track down the fraudster.

Investigators analysed call records, bank details and social media accounts before tracing Dominic to the west Delhi area. A mobile phone containing the fake profile and evidence of chats with more than 100 women was seized from him, the police said.

During interrogation, Dominic revealed that he had entered India in 2019 on a six-month tourist visa using a passport procured from Ivory Coast, as Nigerian citizens were facing hurdles in obtaining Indian visas.

After his visa expired, he stayed back illegally and, having exhausted his savings, turned to cyber fraud, police said.