Nigerians, FOREX Agent Arrested
Two Nigerian nationals and a Hyderabad-based forex agent were arrested by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) and the Cyberabad Police as a drug trafficking network with international links was dismantled following a financial trail that exposed a money laundering operation.
The bust, which took place in Upparpally on Saturday, led to the seizure of 15 grams of cocaine, 50 grams of MDMA, and ₹45,000 in cash.
Those arrested have been identified as Ugwu Ikechukwu alias Emma and Chukwu Ogbonna alias Big Joe – both Nigerian citizens residing in Hyderabad and allegedly involved in drug distribution – and Mohd Mateen Siddiqui, a money transfer agent based in the city.
Police have also identified several others who are currently absconding. These include Ezeonyili Franklin Uchenna, Syed Sohail Abdul Aziz, Syed Naseer Ahmed, Mohd Awaiz, Mohd Mateen, Syed Yousuf Haq, Anand Jain, Shantilal Suresh Kumar Jain, and Uttam Jain.
TGANB Director Sandeep Shandilya said the arrested individuals were part of a global drug racket led by Ebuka alias Lebuka alias Emmanuel alias Divine Ebuka Suzee, a Nigerian national who had earlier established a narcotics supply network in Hyderabad. The racket was involved in trafficking cocaine and MDMA across Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and even the United States.
“Ebuka Suzee initially arrived in India on a tourist visa and built a network to supply drugs in Hyderabad and Bengaluru with the assistance of his brother Franklin Uchenna. During this time, he developed connections with other accused individuals and extended his drug operations to the United States,” said Shandilya.
Explaining the modus operandi, the officer said Ebuka facilitated payments from US-based customers by exploiting vulnerable women. Emma, acting on his instructions, contacted single American women through dating platforms and social media, obtained their bank and credit card information, and passed these details on to customers in the US, who would then deposit money for drug purchases into their accounts.
Mateen, serving as an intermediary, provided bank account details of Indian nationals residing in the US. Once deposits were made, he handed over cash to Emma after taking his commission. In Hyderabad, a similar arrangement was followed. Mateen supplied bank accounts to consumers, collected the payments, and disbursed cash to Emma.
When drug sale amounts in the US crossed $2,500, making it difficult to route through standard money transfer systems, Emma contacted Anand Jain, who helped arrange alternative bank accounts of Indians based in the US to facilitate transfers.
The money collected locally and abroad was eventually routed to Nigeria. Emma passed the funds to Big Joe, who transported them to Mumbai and delivered them to Nwabueze Kenechukwu Victor. From there, the money was funneled to Nigerian businessmen engaged in the garment trade, who laundered the proceeds.
“This network ran through a well-coordinated chain. Each individual, from the peddlers to forex agents, was aware of facilitating illegal transactions,” said Shandilya.
According to TGANB, the racket was busted following a series of undercover operations. Officers placed dummy orders, deposited money in the provided bank accounts, but refrained from making arrests initially. The idea was to trace the full extent of the network and build solid evidence. After several such attempts, actionable intelligence led to Saturday’s
operation.
Authorities also flagged lapses in the Foreigners’ Student Information System (FSIS). “Currently, 371 foreign students are believed to be overstaying in Telangana, and records of over 18,000 foreign students are missing due to failure by educational institutions to update their exit status,” police said.