Nigerian Man Arrested in India for Sextortion Scheme That Drove Female Doctor to Suicide

A 31-year-old Nigerian man, Chijioke John Okoye, has been arrested in India for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a female doctor, ultimately driving her to take her own life.

Authorities claim that Okoye obtained explicit photographs of the victim and used them to extort large sums of money from her.

The woman reportedly died by suicide after Okoye continued to demand more money while threatening to release the compromising content online.

Okoye was apprehended in New Delhi on Friday, March 21, 2025, and was transported to Cuttack, Odisha, on Sunday, March 23, for a court appearance.

According to the police, Okoye had been residing in the Indian capital since 2020.

During a press briefing on Sunday, Cuttack Police Commissioner DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo stated that the victim, a 37-year-old woman, left behind a suicide note.

The note revealed that she had been relentlessly blackmailed and coerced into paying money by unknown individuals via WhatsApp, leading her to take the drastic step on March 1, 2025.

Following a complaint from her family, the cyber cell of the Cuttack Urban Police District launched an investigation into the case.

Police determined that the WhatsApp numbers used to contact the victim were international and coordinated with the telecom service provider to obtain further details.

Tracking the IP address led investigators to New Delhi, where a special police team arrested the suspect in Palam Colony.

Explaining the accused’s modus operandi, DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo stated that Okoye targeted professionals, such as doctors, by scouring Facebook for their profiles. He would then create fake accounts impersonating them.

Using these fraudulent profiles, he sent friend requests to individuals within the same professional circles. Once he established a rapport, he manipulated victims into sharing their mobile and WhatsApp numbers under the guise of pursuing a relationship.

Okoye then tricked victims into sharing private and intimate photos or videos by sending them fake images and videos of the identities he impersonated. He later used this content as leverage for blackmail, DCP Khilari said.

The suspect allegedly employed the same tactics to target the Cuttack woman, coercing her into providing intimate photos and videos, which he then exploited to extort money from her.

“When the accused kept demanding more money by threatening to make her private pictures and videos viral, the victim got scared and finding no other way, ended her life,” police said and added that around 3,000 fake profiles being run by the accused have been traced.

“A laptop, five mobile phones and eight SIM cards of different countries have been seized from him. Though he belongs to Nigeria, a passport of ‘REPUBLIQUE DE COTE D’IVORIE’ issued in the name of Okoye was found in his possession and is under verification. He will be taken on remand for further investigation to ascertain whether he was operating alone or working as part of a larger cybercrime syndicate,” said Khilari.

The DCP advised the public to stay cautious and promptly report any suspicious online activities to help prevent similar tragic incidents.