The India police has apprehended a Nigerian man, Patrick Ngomere, for allegedly hacking into the email account of Family Care Pvt. Limited, a pharmaceutical company, and fraudulently siphoning off 11.73 lakh (approximately $13,361).
The suspect, who was residing in India without a valid visa, is believed to be part of a larger syndicate involved in various cyber frauds across the country.
According to a report by India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, Ngomere confessed to the crime after being arrested near an ATM in Greater Noida.
The arrest followed a detailed investigation by the cyber fraud unit after the pharmaceutical company discovered it had been duped.
The scam reportedly began on when the company received an email impersonating its vendor, Accent Pharma, requesting payment to a new bank account.
Unaware of the fraud, the company transferred 11.76 lakh. It was only after the payment was made and subsequent verification was conducted that the firm realized the email had been hacked.
His mobile phone was linked to the fraudulent bank account used in the scam.
Investigators traced the compromised email to Nigeria and followed the money trail to a bank account in Manipur.
Surveillance footage from the ATM where the funds were withdrawn led to Ngomere’s arrest. Authorities also discovered that he did not possess a valid Indian visa.
An FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Foreigners Act, and investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the syndicate’s operations.
