Nigerian cyber 'groom' who cheated over 300 Indian women promising marriage nabbed from Delhi
Noida, May 27: A Nigerian national staying in Delhi has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on the charge of cheating at least 300 women and duping them of crores of rupees on the pretext of marriage, officials said on Friday.
The accused befriended women through social media and matrimonial websites, where he introduced himself as a non-resident Indian (NRI) settled in Canada and a prospective groom, the officials said.
Garuba Galumje (38), who hails from Lagos in Nigeria, was staying in the Kishan Garh area of South Delhi and has been arrested by officials of the Cyber Crime police station in Noida, they said.
"The accused has been arrested in connection with a complaint from a woman who lives in Meerut district of UP. She claimed that she had registered herself on Jeevansathi website for marriage. A man approached her through the website and introduced himself as Indo-Canadian NRI Sanjay Singh," Inspector Reeta Yadav, in-charge of the Noida Cyber Crime police station, said.
"The man eventually gained her confidence and made emotional appeals as he tricked her into transferring Rs 60 lakh in multiple instalments into his various bank accounts before she realised the fraud," Yadav told reporters.
When the matter was brought to the police, an investigation was taken up and the culprit tracked down to be operating from Delhi and arrested, said the inspector, who led the cyber police team.
"During questioning, we came across multiple similar cases involving Garuba. There are over 300 women who he had targeted through various popular websites, and cheated them of crores. On social media and matrimonial websites, he used profile pictures of smart-looking men and not his own in order to dupe women," Yadav said.
According to the police, Garuba had first come to India in February 2019 on a six-month visa in connection with a business related to human hair and readymade garments.
He once again came to India on March 18 on a medical visa till May 22 but had over-stayed while relocating himself several times during the period, the police said.
Yadav told PTI that a passport belonging to Garuba has been seized but it does not have any stamps of Indian authorities on it, while no visa-related document was found from his possession immediately.
"Garuba has been transferring the fraud money to his family members in Nigeria through international money exchange services," police added.
During the arrest, the police recovered a passport, seven mobile phones, 15 photocopies of documents which included forged letters in the names of Bank of Thailand, National Bank of Dubai, the Interpol, the US Department of State and the FBI, officials said.
An FIR has been lodged against the accused under Indian Penal Code 406 (criminal breach of trust), 419 (cheating by impersonation) and Sections 420 (cheating), and under provisions of the Information Technology Act, they added.
The Cyber Crime department has, meanwhile, urged people to be cautious during online transactions and social media activities in order to avoid financial frauds or any other hassles.
The police also urged people to approach it on dedicated helpline number 1930 or 112 to report any cyber-related case.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
