Nigerian woman gets 7-years jail for duping man of Rs 14 lakh in cyberfraud

Rajkot: A court in Amreli town has sentenced a 27-year-old Nigerian woman to seven years' rigorous imprisonment after convicting her in a cyber fraud case involving the duping of a man of Rs 14 lakh three years ago.The accused, Veronica Andrew Annika Lethabo, was also known as Veronica Ucheoma Andrew as per her Nigerian passport and Annika Lethabo as per a South African passport. She was arrested from Gurugram, Haryana, in May 2024.According to the prosecution, an unknown person contacted the complainant on social media and lured him with the promise of a gift. He was later informed that the gift had arrived at Delhi airport and was asked to pay charges for its release.Over time, the victim was made to transfer a total of Rs 14.09 lakh under various pretexts, including income tax, customs duty and other fees. He was also sent forged documents purportedly issued by the Indian tax authority to convince him that the payments were legitimate. Despite making the payments, he never received any gift.A complaint was registered at the Amreli cybercrime police station on July 20, 2023, under IPC sections related to criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.The prosecution produced electronic evidence, including six mobile phones, a laptop and several SIM cards allegedly used to commit the offence. Police also found that the accused had obtained a broadband connection using a fake passport. Though the passport carried forged details, the address mentioned in it helped investigators trace her location.Police further secured records from banks and technology companies.The court noted that the defence failed to raise any credible doubt regarding the authenticity of these documents and found no evidence to suggest that the electronic records had been tampered with.A forensic report confirmed email and WhatsApp conversations between the accused and the complainant. The court observed that the accused had initiated the communication using a forged identity and committed the offence using the internet as a medium.The defence argued that the complainant had not transferred money directly into the accused's bank account and that the funds were deposited into accounts belonging to Priya Mandal and Mahadev, with no evidence to show that the accused received money from those accounts.However, Chief Judicial Magistrate S R Vakaliya convicted her under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 467, 468 and 471 related to forgery, and for online fraud under Section 66(D) of the IT Act.Overstay and fake passportAccording to police, the accused entered India on a 90-day medical visa but overstayed for more than five years. She allegedly purchased products from India and sold them in South African countries. Amreli police have registered a separate case related to overstaying, in which she is facing trial. Police also recovered a duplicate South African passport from her possession.