According to the police, the Hyderabad Cyber Crimes Unit detained four people from Mumbai, including a Nigerian, for allegedly defrauding a pharmaceutical researcher and maker of Rs 87 lakhs.
Vincent Ibhaduwede (age 37), Shakil (age 34), Arvind Mishra (age 45), and Saifullah Khan (age 53) have been named as the defendants. The police further stated that a case had been filed under the Indian Penal Code. The main suspect, Christopher, fled, and the kingpin pretended to be “Dr. Arthur Williams” of the US-based Lexo Pharma company. According to the authorities, in February 2023, Christopher sent the Tarnaka-based pharmaceutical researcher and producer who made the complaint an email offering a business opportunity involving the monthly delivery of 2,000 packets of stems from a plant called “cissus populnea,” which is used to cure stomach, skin, and venereal illnesses.
The complainant believed the offer to be genuine. To establish credibility, the complainant was initially asked to purchase three packets of Cissus Populnea stems as a sample from a fictitious supplier, Monika Sharma, for which he transferred 1.4 lakh into the bank account of a fictitious company, Siya Enterprises, linked to Monika. These samples were handed over to a Delhi-based African national, Danny.
Fraudsters then persuaded the complainant to make a payment of 87 lakh into Siya Enterprises between March and May 2023 for the 2,000 packets. The amount was withdrawn by Shakil and Mishra and handed to Vincent who sent it to Christopher. Saifullah created a bank account under Siya Enterprises using forged documents.
As the accused stopped responding to messages and emails, the pharma firm owner lodged a police complaint on May 16.
