Bhubaneswar: Cuttack commissionerate police on Sunday arrested a 31-year-old Nigerian from Delhi for subjecting a woman doctor to sextortion for two months, forcing her to end her life on March 1.
The accused was identified as Djedje Raymond alias Chijioke John Okoye, a resident of Abidjan in Nigeria. Prima facie, cops suspect that Raymond, who was arrested from Palam police station limits in Delhi, had been overstaying in India since 2020 without valid documents. Police seized two passports, one Nigerian and the other from Ivory Coast, from his possession.
The body of the 35-year-old doctor was found hanging at her home in Cuttack. Police recovered a suicide note detailing her horrific experience.
According to police sources, Raymond had initiated contact with her on social media in Jan, posing as a Delhi-based doctor. After exchanging messages over a period of time, the unsuspecting doctor shared her WhatsApp number in Feb. During their video interactions, he obtained her private photographs and threatened to release them on a social media platform unless she paid up.
The doctor was forced to transfer money, though the total amount remains unverified. When he demanded more money, she decided to end her life.
“We found 3,000 screenshots of fake social media profiles created using identities of renowned individuals from India and abroad. Evidence showed he received extortion payments from two other victims, one residing in Kenya and another in New Zealand, recently,” Cuttack DCP Rishikesh Khilari said.
Police, who brought Raymond to Cuttack, also seized several international and domestic SIM cards that were acquired using false documents.
As per his modus operandi, he operated an elaborate online scam targeting professionals across India and abroad. “He gained the victim’s trust and subsequently blackmailed her with sensitive information. We will seek his police remand for further investigation,” the DCP stated.
Khilari said the police team, led by senior officials, tracked his digital footprint through SIM cards, bank transactions and mobile phone locations.
“We recovered multiple mobile phones, laptops and bank documents from the accused. We also found evidence of several other potential victims across different cities,” Khilari said.