The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police in India has arrested a Nigerian national, Patrick Ngomere, for allegedly hacking the email account of Family Care Pvt. Limited, a pharmaceutical company, and fraudulently siphoned off Rs 11.73 lakh.

Ngomere is also accused of residing in India without a valid visa and is believed to be part of a larger syndicate involved in cyber fraud across the country.

According to a report from the Indian online news platform Millennium Post, sourced from the country’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the suspect confessed to the crime.

Using XE.com, a currency conversion platform, the Rs 11.73 lakh (Rs 1,173,000) fraudulently obtained is equivalent to approximately $13,361.

Ngomere, a resident of Greater Noida, was arrested near an ATM after police traced his mobile phone to a fraudulent bank account.

The scam reportedly began on December 10, when the pharmaceutical company received an email impersonating its vendor, Accent Pharma, requesting a payment transfer to a new bank account.

Unaware of the deception, the company allegedly transferred Rs 11.76 lakh before later discovering that its email had been hacked. Upon verification, the fraud was detected, leading to an investigation by the cybercrime unit.

The report stated, *”Investigators traced the hacked email to Nigeria and tracked the money to a bank account in Manipur. Surveillance footage helped lead to Ngomere’s arrest.

“He was found to be residing in India without a valid visa and is suspected of being part of a larger cyber fraud syndicate. An FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Foreigners Act, and investigations are ongoing.”*

Previous Incidents of Nigerian Nationals in International Crime

In January 2025, PUNCH Metro reported that the Kuwait General Department of Criminal Investigation in Ahmadi Governorate had arrested two Nigerian nationals for armed robbery.

The suspects were apprehended within 24 hours after allegedly robbing an exchange office in Mahboula, a district in southern Kuwait City.

They reportedly stole foreign currencies totaling 4,600 Kuwaiti Dinars, equivalent to approximately $14,918.69 based on currencyconvertonline.com exchange rates.