At least, four Nigerian nationals, including two women, are facing possible jail time and deportation after being arrested in separate incidents across India for crimes ranging from cyberfraud to drug trafficking.
PUNCH Metro gathered from multiple Indian media sources on Thursday that the suspects, identified as Pepe Morepeyi, Gabriel Onyeka, Bamba Fanta, and Abigail Adonis, were apprehended by different law enforcement agencies in the country.
According to a report by The Times of India on Tuesday, Onyeka was arrested by the Vadodara Cyber Crime unit in Maharashtra in connection with a fraud case involving Rs 1.25 crore.
The report stated, “Onyeka had entered India on a medical visa in 2012 and never left, even after his visa expired.
“But what shocked investigators was not just the scale of the fraud; it was the shadowy network of solidarity among cybercrime gangs that he was part of.”
A Cyber Crime police official disclosed, “When we seized Onyeka’s mobile phones, we found several WhatsApp groups used by gang members to stay in constant contact.
“These weren’t casual chats. They exchanged alerts, legal updates, and emergency support messages.”
Inspector Jaydeepsinh Parmar of the Cyber Crime Cell added, “If one of them got arrested or were under investigation, the group would immediately post alerts.
“Legal aid was swiftly arranged, often without gang members ever appearing in person, since many are staying in India illegally.”
Onyeka allegedly headed a criminal ring that pooled funds to cover legal fees and support the families of detained members.
“Lawyers were hired in whichever state a gang member was arrested, keeping operations fluid and decentralised,” the report noted.
“Probe revealed that Morepeyi had come to Bengaluru in 2023 on a work visa to sell readymade clothes and was allegedly involved in peddling drugs,” the report stated.
It added that Morepeyi had been overstaying his visa and had rented a house in Tata Nagar. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to buying the drugs from another foreigner in Kammanahalli and selling them to earn quick money.
Police said he had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, an Indian TV channel, NDTV, reported that two Nigerian women, Bamba Fanta, 31, and Abigail Adonis, 30, were arrested at the Bengaluru Airport with over 37 kilograms of MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 75 crore, in what officials described as Karnataka’s largest-ever drug haul.
The Mangaluru Police Commissioner, Anupam Agrawal, told reporters, “The women were arrested upon landing from Delhi. The suspects concealed the drugs in their trolley bags.
The police also recovered four mobile phones, passports, and Rs 18,000 in cash from the suspects.
Agrawal further disclosed, “They resided in Delhi and were involved in smuggling MDMA across India.
“They used air routes to transport drugs and made about 37 trips to Mumbai and 22 to Bengaluru in the past year.”
The police added that Fanta entered India in 2020 on a business visa, while Adonis had been living in the country since 2016.
“The two women were involved in the drug cartel for the past one to two years,” Agrawal added.
If convicted, the suspects may be deported after completing their respective prison terms.
JUST IN: Four Nigerians Faces Deportation Over Drug Trafficking, Fraud in India
At least, four Nigerian nationals, including two women, are facing possible jail time and deportation after being arrested in separate incidents across India for crimes ranging from cyberfraud to drug trafficking.
PUNCH Metro gathered from multiple Indian media sources on Thursday that the suspects, identified as Pepe Morepeyi, Gabriel Onyeka, Bamba Fanta, and Abigail Adonis, were apprehended by different law enforcement agencies in the country.
According to a report by The Times of India on Tuesday, Onyeka was arrested by the Vadodara Cyber Crime unit in Maharashtra in connection with a fraud case involving Rs 1.25 crore.
The report stated, “Onyeka had entered India on a medical visa in 2012 and never left, even after his visa expired.
“But what shocked investigators was not just the scale of the fraud; it was the shadowy network of solidarity among cybercrime gangs that he was part of.”
A Cyber Crime police official disclosed, “When we seized Onyeka’s mobile phones, we found several WhatsApp groups used by gang members to stay in constant contact.
“These weren’t casual chats. They exchanged alerts, legal updates, and emergency support messages.”
Inspector Jaydeepsinh Parmar of the Cyber Crime Cell added, “If one of them got arrested or were under investigation, the group would immediately post alerts.
“Legal aid was swiftly arranged, often without gang members ever appearing in person, since many are staying in India illegally.”
Onyeka allegedly headed a criminal ring that pooled funds to cover legal fees and support the families of detained members.
“Lawyers were hired in whichever state a gang member was arrested, keeping operations fluid and decentralised,” the report noted.
“Probe revealed that Morepeyi had come to Bengaluru in 2023 on a work visa to sell readymade clothes and was allegedly involved in peddling drugs,” the report stated.
It added that Morepeyi had been overstaying his visa and had rented a house in Tata Nagar. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to buying the drugs from another foreigner in Kammanahalli and selling them to earn quick money.
Police said he had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, an Indian TV channel, NDTV, reported that two Nigerian women, Bamba Fanta, 31, and Abigail Adonis, 30, were arrested at the Bengaluru Airport with over 37 kilograms of MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 75 crore, in what officials described as Karnataka’s largest-ever drug haul.
The Mangaluru Police Commissioner, Anupam Agrawal, told reporters, “The women were arrested upon landing from Delhi. The suspects concealed the drugs in their trolley bags.
The police also recovered four mobile phones, passports, and Rs 18,000 in cash from the suspects.
Agrawal further disclosed, “They resided in Delhi and were involved in smuggling MDMA across India.
“They used air routes to transport drugs and made about 37 trips to Mumbai and 22 to Bengaluru in the past year.”
The police added that Fanta entered India in 2020 on a business visa, while Adonis had been living in the country since 2016.
“The two women were involved in the drug cartel for the past one to two years,” Agrawal added.
If convicted, the suspects may be deported after completing their respective prison terms.
LEAVE A REPLY
At least, four Nigerian nationals, including two women, are facing possible jail time and deportation after being arrested in separate incidents across India for crimes ranging from cyberfraud to drug trafficking.
PUNCH Metro gathered from multiple Indian media sources on Thursday that the suspects, identified as Pepe Morepeyi, Gabriel Onyeka, Bamba Fanta, and Abigail Adonis, were apprehended by different law enforcement agencies in the country.
According to a report by The Times of India on Tuesday, Onyeka was arrested by the Vadodara Cyber Crime unit in Maharashtra in connection with a fraud case involving Rs 1.25 crore.
The report stated, “Onyeka had entered India on a medical visa in 2012 and never left, even after his visa expired.
“But what shocked investigators was not just the scale of the fraud; it was the shadowy network of solidarity among cybercrime gangs that he was part of.”
A Cyber Crime police official disclosed, “When we seized Onyeka’s mobile phones, we found several WhatsApp groups used by gang members to stay in constant contact.
“These weren’t casual chats. They exchanged alerts, legal updates, and emergency support messages.”
Inspector Jaydeepsinh Parmar of the Cyber Crime Cell added, “If one of them got arrested or were under investigation, the group would immediately post alerts.
“Legal aid was swiftly arranged, often without gang members ever appearing in person, since many are staying in India illegally.”
Onyeka allegedly headed a criminal ring that pooled funds to cover legal fees and support the families of detained members.
“Lawyers were hired in whichever state a gang member was arrested, keeping operations fluid and decentralised,” the report noted.
“Probe revealed that Morepeyi had come to Bengaluru in 2023 on a work visa to sell readymade clothes and was allegedly involved in peddling drugs,” the report stated.
It added that Morepeyi had been overstaying his visa and had rented a house in Tata Nagar. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to buying the drugs from another foreigner in Kammanahalli and selling them to earn quick money.
Police said he had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, an Indian TV channel, NDTV, reported that two Nigerian women, Bamba Fanta, 31, and Abigail Adonis, 30, were arrested at the Bengaluru Airport with over 37 kilograms of MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 75 crore, in what officials described as Karnataka’s largest-ever drug haul.
The Mangaluru Police Commissioner, Anupam Agrawal, told reporters, “The women were arrested upon landing from Delhi. The suspects concealed the drugs in their trolley bags.
The police also recovered four mobile phones, passports, and Rs 18,000 in cash from the suspects.
Agrawal further disclosed, “They resided in Delhi and were involved in smuggling MDMA across India.
“They used air routes to transport drugs and made about 37 trips to Mumbai and 22 to Bengaluru in the past year.”
The police added that Fanta entered India in 2020 on a business visa, while Adonis had been living in the country since 2016.
“The two women were involved in the drug cartel for the past one to two years,” Agrawal added.
If convicted, the suspects may be deported after completing their respective prison terms.
LEAVE A REPLY
At least, four Nigerian nationals, including two women, are facing possible jail time and deportation after being arrested in separate incidents across India for crimes ranging from cyberfraud to drug trafficking.
PUNCH Metro gathered from multiple Indian media sources on Thursday that the suspects, identified as Pepe Morepeyi, Gabriel Onyeka, Bamba Fanta, and Abigail Adonis, were apprehended by different law enforcement agencies in the country.
According to a report by The Times of India on Tuesday, Onyeka was arrested by the Vadodara Cyber Crime unit in Maharashtra in connection with a fraud case involving Rs 1.25 crore.
The report stated, “Onyeka had entered India on a medical visa in 2012 and never left, even after his visa expired.
“But what shocked investigators was not just the scale of the fraud; it was the shadowy network of solidarity among cybercrime gangs that he was part of.”
A Cyber Crime police official disclosed, “When we seized Onyeka’s mobile phones, we found several WhatsApp groups used by gang members to stay in constant contact.
“These weren’t casual chats. They exchanged alerts, legal updates, and emergency support messages.”
Inspector Jaydeepsinh Parmar of the Cyber Crime Cell added, “If one of them got arrested or were under investigation, the group would immediately post alerts.
“Legal aid was swiftly arranged, often without gang members ever appearing in person, since many are staying in India illegally.”
Onyeka allegedly headed a criminal ring that pooled funds to cover legal fees and support the families of detained members.
“Lawyers were hired in whichever state a gang member was arrested, keeping operations fluid and decentralised,” the report noted.
“Probe revealed that Morepeyi had come to Bengaluru in 2023 on a work visa to sell readymade clothes and was allegedly involved in peddling drugs,” the report stated.
It added that Morepeyi had been overstaying his visa and had rented a house in Tata Nagar. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to buying the drugs from another foreigner in Kammanahalli and selling them to earn quick money.
Police said he had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, an Indian TV channel, NDTV, reported that two Nigerian women, Bamba Fanta, 31, and Abigail Adonis, 30, were arrested at the Bengaluru Airport with over 37 kilograms of MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 75 crore, in what officials described as Karnataka’s largest-ever drug haul.
The Mangaluru Police Commissioner, Anupam Agrawal, told reporters, “The women were arrested upon landing from Delhi. The suspects concealed the drugs in their trolley bags.
The police also recovered four mobile phones, passports, and Rs 18,000 in cash from the suspects.
Agrawal further disclosed, “They resided in Delhi and were involved in smuggling MDMA across India.
“They used air routes to transport drugs and made about 37 trips to Mumbai and 22 to Bengaluru in the past year.”
The police added that Fanta entered India in 2020 on a business visa, while Adonis had been living in the country since 2016.
“The two women were involved in the drug cartel for the past one to two years,” Agrawal added.
If convicted, the suspects may be deported after completing their respective prison terms.