The Uttar Pradesh Police have detained a Nigerian national on charges of defrauding at least 300 women out of crores of rupees under the guise of marriage, officials stated on Friday, May 27.
Garuba Galumje, 38, is accused of befriending women on social media and marriage services, where he described himself as a non-resident Indian (NRI) living in Canada.
Galumje, who lived in the Kishan Garh neighbourhood of South Delhi, was apprehended by officials from the Noida, Uttar Pradesh, cyber crime police station.
“The offender was apprehended after a woman in the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh filed a complaint. He stated she had registered for marriage on the Jeevansathi website. Sanjay Singh, an Indo-Canadian NRI, approached her over the website and presented himself “Inspector Reeta Yadav, in-charge of the Noida cyber crime police station, explained the situation.
“The man gradually acquired her trust and made emotional appeals as he duped her into sending Rs 60 lakh into his numerous bank accounts in multiple payments before she realised the deception,” Yadav told reporters.
When the situation was brought to the attention of the police, an investigation was launched, and the perpetrator was traced down and apprehended in Delhi, according to the inspector who led the cyber police squad.
“During our interrogation, we discovered a number of similar situations involving Garuba. He defrauded around 300 women by targeting them on major websites and defrauding them of millions of dollars. In order to deceive women on social media and matrimonial services, he utilised profile photographs of smart-looking men rather than his own “Yadav explained.
Garuba had originally arrived in India in February 2019 on a six-month visa to conduct commerce involving human hair and readymade clothing, according to authorities.
He returned to India on March 18 with a medical visa that was valid till May 22, but he overstayed and relocated multiple times during that time.
“Garuba has been using international money exchange firms to transfer the fraud money to his family members in Nigeria,” authorities said.
During the arrest, police discovered a passport, seven cellphones, and 15 photocopies of documents, including counterfeit letters from the Bank of Thailand, the National Bank of Dubai, Interpol, the US Department of State, and the FBI, according to officials.
The offender has been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 419 (cheating by impersonation), and 420 (cheating), as well as the Information Technology Act.
Infogong
