Ahmedabad Police bust cybercrime racket linked to Nigerian gang; 6 held including foreign national

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested six members of a racket involved in transferring proceeds of cyber fraud to a Nigerian gang.

The case originated from a complaint lodged by a resident of Maninagar, who alleged that he had been defrauded of ₹32.72 lakh by individuals posing as representatives of an African company dealing in a homeopathic liquid named Eupatorium Mercola, used for treating malaria and dengue in Africa.

According to the complaint, the victim was first persuaded to purchase 1 litre of the liquid for testing, paying ₹5.52 lakh to a person identifying himself as Jaydev, a salesman of Sharma Enterprises. The sample was later “approved” by a supposed African lab scientist named Moshin Murray in Delhi.

Following this, the complainant received a fake order email from the purported African company and deposited ₹27 lakh as advance payment in an Axis Bank account shared by the accused. Upon visiting the claimed manufacturing site in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, the complainant discovered that no such company existed and subsequently lodged a complaint.

A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ahmedabad City, under Sections 316(2), 318(4), 319(2), and 61(2) of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

Modus Operandi

Investigations revealed that the Nigerian gang lured victims through online communication, promising lucrative deals in chemical trading. The victims were instructed to transfer payments to various bank accounts, after which the fraudsters siphoned the money through layers of Indian intermediaries.

A key Nigerian associate coordinated with local accomplices to source bank account holders for laundering the money. Funds received from victims were transferred across multiple accounts, withdrawn via cheques or ATMs, and forwarded to the Nigerian operators.

Role of the Accused

Krishnamati Mahesh Chaudhary, Mahesh Vishram Chaudhary, and their son-in-law Rahul opened multiple bank accounts—up to 12–15 per enterprise—to channel fraudulent deposits. Once accounts were flagged in police complaints, they relocated to different states to evade detection.

Salim Anwaruddin Sheikh (mastermind), Trijugilal Budhram Kurmi, and Rajeshkumar Prithvipal Saroj, all originally from Uttar Pradesh, coordinated the financial flow. Of the ₹32.72 lakh defrauded, ₹5.52 lakh was traced to an account named Shriram Enterprise at Ratnakar Bank, operated by Krishnamati Chaudhary. The trio withdrew funds and passed them to Salim Sheikh, who took a 10% commission before remitting the rest to Nigerian handlers.

Sheikh and his associates also recruited individuals from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal to open fake firms and bank accounts, later used for cyber fraud and online betting operations linked to Dubai-based entities.

Nigerian Connection

The money trail ultimately led to Madufor Steve Uzochi, who received funds from Sheikh and Kurmi and transferred them to the main Nigerian gang. Another suspect, Ridha, is absconding and believed to be operating with an Indian national, Akash Vasant Goni. Uzochi was reportedly residing in Mumbai on a fake visa.

Investigations further revealed that Salim Sheikh, who had earlier worked under a handler named Dinesh Pandey, took over the operation after Pandey’s death. Sheikh has been running this racket for nearly 10 years, maintaining active contact with multiple Nigerian nationals. Police have found links to similar offences registered in Punjab, Maharashtra, and other states.