Two Nigerian nationals have been arrested by cyber crime police in Gurgaon, India, for allegedly impersonating company directors on WhatsApp and tricking employees into transferring large sums of money into their bank accounts.

According to Indian police authorities, the suspects were identified as Ojo Uyiosa and James. They were arrested on Saturday by the Cyber Crime Police (East), Gurgaon, from the S-Block area of Nathupur, following an investigation into a suspicious phone number linked to the fraud.

Police said Uyiosa first entered India in 2014 on a student visa, while James arrived in 2023 on a tourist visa.

Investigators allege that the two worked with other Nigerian nationals to carry out the scam by posing as company directors on WhatsApp and sending urgent payment instructions to unsuspecting employees.

The employees, believing the messages were from senior management, reportedly transferred money into bank accounts controlled by the suspects.

Police claim that approximately ₹10 lakh was transferred into a Bandhan Bank account as part of the operation. Officials also confirmed that two separate cyber crime complaints had already been filed against the same bank account.

During interrogation, and based on evidence recovered, police said the suspects were linked to multiple cyber fraud cases using the same method. Authorities added that the group relied heavily on WhatsApp for communication, while other associates arranged bank accounts used to receive the fraud proceeds, which were later shared among the group.

Following their arrest, a formal case was registered against the suspects, and they were produced before a court on Sunday. The court subsequently remanded them into three days of police custody to allow further investigation.

Police confirmed that two mobile phones and three SIM cards believed to have been used in the fraud were recovered. Investigations are ongoing to trace additional funds, identify other members of the alleged network, and determine the full scale of the operation.

The case has once again highlighted the growing use of social engineering and impersonation tactics in cyber fraud cases, particularly those targeting corporate staff through messaging platforms.