Ugandan national arrested for using girlfriend’s photos to trap victims in fake rare-oil scheme

A Ugandan national allegedly used fake profiles of women on dating apps, including photographs of his girlfriend, to lure victims into investing in a fictitious rare-oil business, said the police. One of his victims was an AIIMS researcher, who was cheated of Rs 1.90 lakh in what authorities have described as a “romance-cum-investment” scam.

The accused, identified as Micheal Iga, 38, was also found to be residing illegally in North Delhi.

Police officials said Iga is linked to at least 14 cyber-fraud cases registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, involving cumulative transactions running into several crores across multiple states.

Investigators said Iga created multiple fake identities of women to befriend victims online, emotionally manipulate them and eventually trap them in fabricated high-return investment schemes.

“He used photographs of his girlfriend to set up fake profiles on dating and social media platforms,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) Amit Goel said.

The case reportedly began a year ago, when an AIIMS researcher matched with a woman on a dating app. After exchanging numbers, the two spoke regularly. The police later determined the woman was actually Iga, posing as an employee of a beauty-products company.

Iga allegedly enticed the researcher with a fraudulent business proposal involving the purchase of ‘rare oil’ from Assam for Rs 2 lakh per litre and its resale for Rs 3.5 lakh per litre, promising quick and substantial returns. Trusting the scheme, the researcher transferred Rs 1.90 lakh to multiple accounts, police said.

Iga was arrested on December 8 from Burari. During interrogation, he admitted to creating the fake profile and duping the victim in the investment scam, officials said.

A special police team led by Inspector Pravesh Kaushik recovered Rs 22,500 in cash, four mobile phones, a laptop, and six debit cards suspected to have been used for receiving and circulating the defrauded money.

The police said the accused frequently moved between Gurgaon, Mehrauli, Burari and nearby areas to evade arrest. “He was finally apprehended through sustained technical surveillance,” DCP Goel said.

“Intimation regarding the foreign national has been sent to the Uganda Embassy and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. The accused admitted to creating multiple fake female identities and deceiving victims after gaining their trust,” DCP Goel added.