Cyberfraudster Uses Garment Export Business as Front to Send Stolen Funds Abroad

Strategic Insights -

Cybercrime investigators in Vadodara have uncovered a unique modus operandi used by a Nigerian national to transfer stolen funds abroad. Gabriel Onyeka, a 41-year-old man who has been living in India illegally, used a garment export business as a front to send the ill-gotten gains of cyberfraud to his gang members in Nigeria. The police investigation found that Onyeka would transfer the stolen money to various bank accounts, withdraw it, and then use the funds to buy children's garments, which he would export to Nigeria. The garments were sold for a profit, and the money was kept by the gang members.

Key Takeaways:

  • Gabriel Onyeka, a Nigerian national, used a garment export business as a front to send stolen funds abroad, totaling Rs 1.25 crore.
  • Onyeka was living in India illegally, having entered the country on a medical visa in 2012 and never left, despite his visa expiring.
  • The police found that Onyeka would transfer the stolen money to various bank accounts, withdraw it, and then use the funds to buy children's garments, which he would export to Nigeria.
  • The garment export business was a unique method of transferring the proceeds of crime, as revealed by Jaydeepsinh Parmar, Cybercrime police inspector.
  • Onyeka was tracked down by police after a city-based businessman filed a cheating case against him.
  • Onyeka was previously arrested by Mumbai police in 2020 for staying in the country illegally.

Statistics:

  • Rs 1.25 crore was the total amount of stolen funds transferred abroad.
  • 41 years is the age of Gabriel Onyeka, the Nigerian national who used the garment export business as a front to send stolen funds abroad.
  • 2012 is the year during which Onyeka entered India on a medical visa.
  • 2020 is the year during which Onyeka was previously arrested by Mumbai police for staying in the country illegally.

Sources:

  • The Times of India
  • "Vadodara man's modus operandi: Using garment export business as front to send stolen funds abroad"